Whatever It Takes
by YourGuardianAngel08
Summary: Please be aware this has a TRIGGER warning attached - specifics are in the author's note. When MJ is brutally attacked, Peter is there to help pick up the pieces and he will stop at nothing to make sure she's okay. Thankfully, they learned a long time ago that it's never a bad thing to ask for help. And for them, backup comes in the form of the Avengers.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, **

**So I have something very different that also needs to come with some serious TRIGGER warnings, specifically mentions of rape, attempted rape, and PTSD. Please, please, PLEASE, do not read this if it is something that could dredge up something terrible for you. My goal is not to hurt anyone so please seriously consider that before you scroll passed the little spacing dots I used to make sure no one sees anything before they read that.**

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**For anyone who kept scrolling, I think I've been watching a few too many true crime shows on every streaming service imaginable and this story came to mind while I was watching SVU the other night so I'm hoping that gives you an idea of where this is kind of going...**

**Now for some background, this story takes place about nine years after the defeat of Thanos. For those of you who haven't read any of my other stories (and you don't have to for this to make sense so please don't feel obligated to), I have this AU timeline set up where Tony is alive, he and Pepper have a son named Morgan. Tony is basically Peter's adopted dad too, that's kind of important here. Natasha is still around, she's basically in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Compound (like in Endgame) and Cap never went back in time. That's pretty much all you need to know from past stories for this to make sense. So in this, Peter and MJ have both graduated from college and are living together in New York. Peter's still Spider-Man and a member of the Avengers (obviously) and he works as an engineer for Stark Industries. MJ's working as a translator at the UN because I think that would be super fun and she seemed to really like language in FFH so I figured, why not.**

**Other than that, I need to say, I'm a little nervous about this story, I'm not totally sure why but I am and I need to say that. So, if you really don't like it I get it, but please just be kind.**

**I think that's about all you need to know so I'm going to stop babbling and ****here's the new story!**

**Enjoy!**

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Michelle clutched at her side, trying without success to hold the stitching agony at bay as she ran. Her legs pumped harder than they ever had before as she tried desperately to breathe evenly enough to keep up her pace. Unfortunately, no amount of stubbornness could overcome all the pain lingering in the background and the fact that she was hurt and he wasn't. Without warning, he closed behind her and slammed his fist down onto her shoulder. The move had enough force that it stunned her and her step faltered as she tripped over her own feet. She tumbled and skid across the ground as she scrambled to stop herself. He fell to his knees behind her so she kicked out as hard as she could before he could get too close. Her foot connected with something solid and she heard him groan.

And roll away from her.

Knowing that would not be enough to stop him but that she had to take her chance, Michelle forced herself to her feet, ducked her head, and ran harder. She tried to bring her arm back up to press against her side but it wasn't working. For some reason, it hung like a dead weight and just threw her off balance. Still, she ran. Michelle knew she needed to get to somewhere there were other people. Somewhere that would make him stop.

She didn't quite make it.

It was hard to see in the dark and her foot caught something that tangled her legs beneath her, sending her crashing back to the earth. With only one arm to brace her fall, Michelle's face cracked against the hard packed dirt. She tasted a burst of copper as she bit her tongue or her cheek or the jarring impact of her chin against the ground knocked loose a tooth, she wasn't sure. Her head bounced awkwardly and it took everything in her to hold on to a shred of consciousness.

Summoning what strength she could, she pulled herself forward with her good hand. The motion caused immeasurable pain and she cried out in agony as the action pulled at bruised ribs. Her eyes were jumping in her skull when she tried to focus on something…anything in front of her that promised help. As she slowly pulled forward, her hand closed around something rough. It felt like a branch or maybe a discarded pole, either way, it moved when she tugged on it.

Her hackles raised on the back of her neck when she heard the heavy breathing behind her and without warning, the fear she had been suppressing slipped up her spine, threatening to keep her from acting. But she forced it away. Instead, she concentrated on recovering enough to make this count.

As he closed in on her, he started talking. His voice was gravely and deep, exactly what one imagines when they think of monsters that prey on women in the dark. He talked slowly, in mock seduction as he whispered, "There's a good girl. Why don't you just stay where you are, let me do what I want and then you can go on your way. I promise I'll make it as fun for you as I can."

Michelle shuddered at that threat. Immediately, she knew that it would haunt her nightmares if she escaped but she swore that he would have to kill her before she let anything like that happen. This time, she was going to make sure his prey had teeth of her own. She waited until he got close enough that she could feel the heat of his breath on the back of her neck. She forced herself to hold still even as she tightened her grip on her concealed weapon.

Michelle let him relax, let him think he had won. When he was leaning over her with his hands on either side of her hips, she rolled as quickly as she could. The action startled him and he jerked away, giving her an opening. She swung with as much strength as she could muster. The blow caught him across the head and he tumbled off to her side. She kicked and clambered out from under him, the pain that had been plaguing her before became an afterthought as she lashed out again as hard as she could. The branch connected solidly with his head and she watched him roll farther away. Realizing this was her chance, Michelle scrambled back to her feet and ran, the branch still clutched tightly in her grip. She could see a streetlight not far away, if she could just get there, maybe she could find someone to help her.

She gave everything she had left.

As the light illuminated the world around her, Michelle took half a breath. She wasn't safe, not yet, not even close but at least she could see her more clearly. Her eyes darted to either side, taking in the small area illuminated by the dim streetlight but disappointment shot through her as she realized there was no one around. There was a building not too far from where she was standing, maybe if she could get to it…

After a few moments of slightly disoriented indecision, she ran toward it. The branch was still clutched tightly in her hand even as it became a dragging weight. Her mind yelled at her to drop it and run but instinct told her to hold on. She knew he was still following her.

She screamed for help as she ran. Praying that someone would hear her. She was not one to ask for help unless she needed it but she also wasn't deluded enough to think that she could take him on her own.

She made it passed the next streetlight, so close to the building she was trying to reach before a heavy weight slammed into her back. The momentum sent her crashing back to the ground and she landed hard, twisting her wrist around her weapon as her head to slammed into the concrete again. This time the blow dazed her and she couldn't turn over fast enough to fight back.

The man had learned. He flipped her over and wrenched her arms up over her head, pinning them there while he sat on her hips.

Michelle's head lulled as she tried to force some kind of coherent thought through her mind, tried to come up with some kind of plan. But her brain was a jumbled mess and she couldn't get her eyes to fixate on anything. She thrashed uncoordinatedly against him but he was stronger than her. Her only consolation was that when she finally got her eyes to focus, she realized there was a thick stream of blood down his face, she had caught him with one of those blows. Unfortunately, that didn't seem like nearly enough when he leaned down into her face, snarling.

"You little bitch. You're a fighter. I can't say I hate that but I will tell you, it's going to make this so much worse for you." He slammed his mouth down over hers and his lips moved roughly, painfully over hers before he shoved his tongue passed her teeth.

Michelle pulled her head back as far as she could in surprise but he followed, hurting her as he pressed his full weight down on her. In a panic, she bit down hard.

Immediately, he pulled away. He looked at her with wide eyes as he wiped his hand across his mouth. When he pulled it away and found blood on his knuckles, that surprised dissipated into maliciousness and he seethed, "So you really are a fighter." Then he backhanded her hard across the face before he snapped, "Guess I'll have to end that."

The ringing blow caused even more agony to flare in her overwrought mind and Michelle couldn't fight it as her head snapped to the side. Of all the damage she had taken, that hurt the worst and Michelle had to fight to keep her tears back. If this was going to happen, she refused to let him see how badly he hurt her, how badly he scared her. She closed her eyes tight and tried desperately to conjure up something positive, something to numb this experience. But her memories vacillated and slipped over her like a wave, she was too groggy to find something specific but Peter was in enough of them that it give her an image to hold onto. She fought to hold onto that smiling face.

The man leaned down over her again, snarling like a rabid dog while she tried to hold onto that one good thing before her world was fundamentally changed. She clamped down on her tears and steeled herself as much as she could against what was about to happen.

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**So what'd you think? I'm actually asking because I have a few more chapters written for this story but I'm also a little leery about continuing it because of the content so if this is something I should keep putting time into, please let me know. **

**If you didn't like it, please tell me that too! But be nice about it :/**

**For what it's worth, I do hope you liked it!**

**I hope you have a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**-Lily**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone!**

**I have another chapter for you! Thank you so much to those of you who favorited and followed the first chapter, it definitely made me think there was something here and that I should keep working on it for a while. I also wanted to make sure I thank my lovely reviewers: **

**\- the fantabulous ****slytherclaw2114, Thanks :) I hope you like this chapter too!**

**\- the absolutely awesome Proud Hollander, I'm sorry you feel really bad about liking it but I totally understand because I felt bad for writing it. But I still can't help it :/ And I'm glad that it seems in character, the way I see it, if she picks up a mace to take on a drone, she's going to fight like hell in any situation. And I think I'm going to keep going with it, thanks :)**

**\- the wonderful DarkShadowNin, It was and I'm sorry but I hope you enjoy this update!**

**\- the stupendous LilyXJames, I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter and I hope this one lives up to your expectations!**

**You guys are awesome and are a main part of why I decided to keep going with this story so thank you :).**

**Alright, I don't really have anything else for right now so without further ado,**

**Enjoy!**

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Peter was relaxing in a hammock between two building when Karen came online, "Peter, there has been a reported attack on a woman not too far from your location."

Peter vaulted off the roof as he ordered, "Get me there, Karen."

Without another word, the location appeared on his heads up display and he took off. It only took him a handful of minutes to make it to where Karen had indicated and as Peter closed in he could see what she had been talking about. There was a man who was clearly pinning a smaller woman to the ground. His intentions were pretty obvious and it made Peter sick but it was also something he could stop. As he got close enough to do just that, Peter noticed a branch clutched in her hand and realized that she had to have put up a hell of a fight.

He couldn't let her fight on her own anymore. Even for a second.

From the lamppost he landed on, Peter fired a web that stuck to the man's jacket and he pulled. Hard. The man flailed as he was yanked into the air and the elasticity of the web caused him to fly passed where Peter was perched. Without a thought, Peter fired another web down and attached it to the light pole, effectively hanging the bad guy off the ground. His legs kicked uselessly a few times before he gave up and just hung there. Peter glanced away for a split second and watched the woman roll away from them. Peter knew he needed to check on her as soon as he took care of this slimy criminal. He leapt down, turned to the man hanging there, and asked incredulously, "Seriously, man, you don't have any other way to spend a Saturday night?"

The man smirked and snapped, "I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday night. Why don't you take your piece, Spider-Man? She's pretty attrac –"

Peter didn't let him finish as he fired a web that covered the man's mouth. Then just to make sure, he launched a few more webs so he couldn't pull away from the pole. Peter called up, "That'll last for a least two hours, but don't worry the cops will be here before that." Job done, he turned his attention to the woman still curled on the grass. For a split second he was struck by an odd sense of familiarity but he brushed it off, there was no way this was anyone he knew. Carefully approaching so he didn't scare her, Peter gingerly laid his hand on her shoulder and spoke quietly, "Hey…umm…I took care of him. It's okay now. Did he hurt you? Do you want to go to the hospital? I can take you…" He trailed off and glanced around for any other threats as he waited for her to say something. When he looked back down at her, he looked into soft brown eyes that were hazy with pain, but they were eyes he knew incredibly well. His mind short-circuited and he breathed out, "MJ?"

As soon as he said it, it made the situation real and Peter's mind spun into overdrive. Wild concern blended with agony and fear as his heart started to slam against his ribcage. This couldn't be Michelle, it couldn't be her.

But after only a few heartbeats it became perfectly apparent this was Michelle and rage crashed into him. It wasn't enough to drive him away from her until he knew she was with him but it was enough to cause his vision to go red and his hands to shake. That man had tried to hurt her. Peter's eyes flicked unconsciously to the bruises already darkening her face, the blood that dripped off her cheek, and still more that ran down her neck from a gash across her chin. Peter couldn't hold back a snarl as he realized that man already had hurt her. He noticed her clothes were torn and in that moment, it was painfully obvious exactly what Peter had stopped. And how much worse that man had planned on hurting her. Then a quiet voice in the back of his head reminded him that the man who had done this was still behind them…

When Michelle focused on the person leaning over her, for a moment she assumed it was just her mind solidifying on an image to keep her calm. This wasn't Peter, it couldn't be him. But then her projection talked and even through the imagined suit, it was a voice she knew so well, it hurt. And for a moment, she couldn't help the hope that flared in her chest that this was actually Peter. Still, she was terrified to have that hope so she crushed it back down.

Then imagined Peter fully looked down at her. Michelle watched the eyes on the mask widen, betraying his surprise clearly enough for even her foggy mind to read. And that was such a minuscule detail that she questioned whether she could have imagined that. But when he said her name, there was a shock and hurt so palpable that Michelle was pretty sure her exhausted mind couldn't have come up with something so vivid.

This was Peter.

It had to be.

Tears welled up in her eyes and she wanted to tell him so much but her tongue was tied in knots so she just nodded her answer. The eyes on his suit narrowed dangerously moments before he tore the fabric away completely.

Peter's chest was tight and he was having trouble breathing through the constricting, spandex material. He desperately needed to see her without the filter of the mechanical eyes, so he clawed the mask off. As his sight adjusted to the dim light, her injuries looked even worse and his stomach twisted into a dense knot. But he forced himself to focus on her. He brushed some of the mussed hair out of her face with shaking fingers before he laid his hand along her cheek, gently avoiding the injuries he could. And yet even while he gave her his full attention, Peter could feel the malicious gaze on the back of his neck. The man who had done this was watching them and now that Michelle had given him some indication she knew he was there, Peter felt the overwhelming urge to end that reality. His voice was quiet when he murmured, "Just…just stay right here, okay, MJ? I'll be right back. I promise, I'll be right back."

And Peter gave in to the seething anger in his gut. It burned a sour, simmering flame that whispered and snapped its disappointment with Peter's actions so far. It reminded him that the man who had done this was still...alive. It swore if he took care of that, it would be easy to claim self-defense. Snarled as it laid out bluntly what the man had tried to do. To her. To Michelle. And it built on Peter's fear until the anger became an inferno that urged him to deal with the man who was still watching them.

Still watching her.

His mask forgotten, Peter leapt away and landed in a crouch on the light pole. His voice vibrated with rage when he spat, "Why are you still looking?" Peter tore the webbing from the man's mouth, smirking in fleeting satisfaction when he yelped in pain.

Still, that sickening voice answered all the same, "Well if you're not going to let me get my rocks off, I figured maybe watching you would be enough…" The man smirked, obviously enjoying the distress he was causing the superhero.

Peter had one more question and he snarled, "Do you know who she is?"

The man shrugged the best he could and drawled, "My next lay."

Peter swallowed back the vomit that seared up the back of his throat at that answer and he gave into his burning rage. He slammed his fist into the man's head.

Immediately, the man went limp in the webs.

Then Peter glanced back at Michelle still laying in the grass and snarled as that inferno flared hotter with the hint of blood. Without thought, Peter turned and slammed his fist into the man's head again.

And again.

And as he pulled his fist back for a fourth blow, her voice stopped him. It reminded him that this wasn't right, that it's the law's job to deal with this man, not his. With a concerted effort of will, Peter stopped himself from turning the man into a dead, bloodied pulp hanging from webbing on a sidewalk. Instead, he snarled once more before he fought back frustrated tears and leapt away, back to Michelle.

He landed gracefully at her side and realized that when she looked up at him, there was a bit more recognition in her gaze. Peter gently laid his hand back on the side of her face before carefully laying his other on her arm to keep her stable. His gaze skittered over her face again and he took in every visible bruise and cut, none of them doing anything to squelch his seething anger. Still, he forced himself to focus on her now. He could hear tears lingering in his voice when he choked out, "Hey…MJ…can you hear me?"

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**Second chapter down...**

**Feel free to let me know what you think in the reviews!**

**I hope you have a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**\- Lily**


	3. Chapter3

**Hey everyone,**

**I have another chapter for you guys. I want to say thank you to everybody who favorited and followed, I really appreciate it and I think I said this for the second chapter, but it really makes me think that this is worth writing so I'm going to keep going with it. I also want to make sure that I give a shout out to my reviewers because you guys are amazing. So, thank you to:**

**\- the fantastic LilyXJames, You're welcome :) thank you so much for commenting! And you'll have to wait to find out ;) but I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**\- the outstanding HorrorFan13, They're definitely going to show up eventually, I love writing them so much :)**

**\- the wonderful DarkShadowNin, I actually thought about writing a different version but I ended up liking this angle better. I'm glad you liked it and yah, it'll definitely be a watching scenario here. **

**\- the amazing HHaines, Yah it was dark and it was actually something I felt kinda bad about writing initially but the more I got into it, I like the chance to explore the impact on the characters. Thanks for saying that too, I'm always a little curious about what happens when the real world works its way into the superhero profession so I'm glad that it works. Honestly, I can't imagine she wouldn't fight so it felt like a disservice to her character for her just to give up. **

**\- the stupendous honeysweetcutie, Holy crap thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far and I hope you like this chapter too!**

**Well that's all I have for right now so without further ado,**

**Enjoy!**

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Michelle's foggy mind wrapped a tentative grasp around the idea that this was actually Peter. That maybe he had somehow managed to stop what was about to happen. But then as quickly as she decided that, Peter disappeared.

She reminded herself that she had _seen_ him. That he had been there.

But it was hard to shake the lingering whisper that what she saw wasn't true.

Unconsciously, she made a decision. She needed to get up. She needed to move.

Michelle rolled onto her side and tried to push herself up so she could at least take a look around but the arm she tried to use was the one the man had somehow disabled and she couldn't get it to cooperate. Instead, she collapsed back into the grass. It was frustrating, but the coolness of the grass felt good on the bruises on her face and the longer she laid there, the more tired she became. Her injuries also started to become more pressing. Her drive to move waivered and instead she stayed where she was, breathing evenly and trying to summon enough strength to run if necessary.

Then there was a soft thud beside her. She jumped and her hand tightened on the branch that was still somehow resting loosely in her hand. But the anticipated attack never came. Instead, she felt a gentle hand on her cheek and another on her arm. Michelle tried not to slouch away because they felt familiar but she couldn't completely control her reaction.

Still, the comforting hands didn't move.

Then Peter's face appeared in her eye line. His mask was off and he looked at her with a depressing mix of concern and distress. Michelle could see his mouth moving but the words were garbled. She realized how tired she really was. Still, she wanted to talk to him, to know if he was real. After a long blink, she forced her eyes open and concentrated on his face, her own pounding skull made it difficult but eventually she succeeded. Her speech was slurred when she answered what some part of her mind had caught as a question, "I…can he…ar you."

_Well, that didn't sound right_, she thought to herself. But the ridicule didn't last long as a renewed sense of panic flared when Peter's face and the gentle hands slipped away and arms slid under her shoulders and legs. Immediately, her adrenaline spiked and her mind narrowed around the singular demand, _fight_. Her hand closed around the branch and she swung, trying to hit the owner of the mystery arms. And she must have succeeded because the arms went away and were replaced by Peter's worried face and gentle hands. As soon as she saw him again, Michelle calmed down. Peter was there, he would protect her. Still, she kept ahold of the branch just in case he needed help.

Peter panicked when Michelle finally slurred an answer. She needed a doctor. Without thinking about it, he gently brushed his fingers against the bruises on her temple. That man must have hit her pretty hard to cause that. He needed to get her to a hospital as quickly as he could. Peter swallowed back tears as he sat back and slipped his arms behind her back and under her knees.

But she attacked him.

Peter jumped back in surprise when she swung the branch, the motion causing him to roughly drop her back into the grass. A few confused tears escaped as he tried to understand what she was doing and he croaked out, "MJ…what…?" But before he could finish the question, he knew exactly what she had been doing and Peter's stomach rolled.

She thought he was the man who attacked her.

His heart clenched painfully as he leaned forward and laid his hand back on the side of her face, slipping into her eye line. It worked and she calmed almost immediately. Swallowing his tears, Peter softly explained, "MJ, I need to get you help, okay? You need to go to the hospital. If nothing else, you've got a really bad concussion."

Michelle's shook her head listlessly before she slurred, "Juss wanna go home, Pet'r."

Peter slowly answered, "Michelle, I don't think that's a good idea."

Nothing else made sense but the idea that she wanted to be in a place that she knew, in a place that was safe. That was not a hospital. She wanted to be at home with Peter and couldn't help it as she whined, "Ta'k me hom', pleez."

The moment she said that, there was absolutely no way Peter could say no. He knew it probably wasn't the best decision but he also figured that if anyone was going to be able to help her in their apartment, it was going to be him. Or more specifically Tony. Still, all of that was a moot point if she wouldn't let him pick her up. Knowing that he had maybe two options here, he decided to lay them out as slowly as he could, "MJ, I need you to look at me."

Michelle heard the seriousness in the request and, in a flickering moment of relative comprehension, forced herself to meet his eyes.

Peter took her gaze as permission and continued, "You need help. And if that means at home that's fine but you have to let me pick you up to get you there. So here's what going to happen, either I pick you up and take you home or, if you keep fighting me, I web you up and take you to the hospital. I don't want to take you where you don't want to go but if you fight me I could drop you. And you _need_ to see someone." He leaned over and studied her gaze, trying to figure out how much of that she got.

Michelle understood the gist of what he was saying. There was something about home and carrying her. And something about a hospital if she didn't let him. Well that wasn't even a choice.

She closed her eyes for a long moment before she whispered, "Hom'."

Before he could move her though, Michelle's eyes popped open, completely cogent for the first time since the attack ended and she whispered, "Promise this is real?" She watched him carefully, still desperately trying to shake the idea that her mind was projecting this so she didn't actually have to deal with what was happening.

Then she saw the tears in Peter's eyes.

Peter choked up at her question, how could he possibly prove that? All he could do was nod exaggeratedly and swear, "It's real, MJ. I swear to god its real. I promise. I'm here and I'm going to take you home."

_That seemed pretty real_, Michelle thought before she hummed her approval of the plan, "Mmm'kay."

Peter took that as acceptance and he pulled his mask back on. He slowly slipped his arms back under her shoulders and her knees to sit her up a bit. He winced as she flinched but she didn't fight him. He webbed her hands together and started to slip them over his head when she cried out in pain. Peter immediately froze, eyes going wide as he kept her arms where they were and slid away from her. Once he was clear, he slowly lower her webbed hands and asked, "What's wrong, MJ? What happened? What'd I do? Please tell me." He knew he was talking too fast and saying too much but he was petrified.

Michelle heard Peter's voice but couldn't focus on what he was saying. Still it didn't matter, she needed him to stay away from her arm because that suddenly hurt worse than anything else and she closed her eyes tight as she breathed through the pain before she whispered, "Shou'd'r."

Peter quickly repeated the explanation as he gingerly pressed his fingers across her shoulder, starting at the collarbone. Then he thought of something much more efficient. Sliding his mask back off, he swallowed hard before he looked down at her, "MJ, I'm going to put my mask on your face, okay?" He was frightened that it was going to scare her but it was the only way he had to tell how badly she was hurt.

Michelle saw him lean forward with the constricting fabric and her first instinct was to flinch away. She didn't want that on. But then she read the pain on his face, the obvious discomfort and she forced herself to nod and hold still.

It wasn't as bad as she thought.

He was incredibly gentle and, while the fabric tugged at the cuts on her face, it wasn't terrible. The mask slid into place easily. It was a strange feeling that forced her to wake up a little more because suddenly there were lights on the inside and they were insane. And they _hurt_. But she focused as much as she could on Peter, wincing against the sudden light show drilling its way into her skull. All of that was sidelined though when she heard a kind voice she had never heard before speaking to her.

"Hello, MJ. Peter has told me so much about you."

Michelle jumped but then she heard Peter's voice amplified in the mask. Now that it was a little louder, Michelle felt guilt well up in her chest at the concern in his tone, "Karen, please do a medical scan, I need to know specifically what's wrong with her arm but I'll need the rest of it anyway." As Michelle watched, the lights whirled to life in the mask and she gasped, unconsciously scooting away. Peter's hands tightly fractionally on her arm, holding her in place and she stopped moving.

Then the voice cut through the tension, apologetic but honest, "MJ's left shoulder has been dislocated. Peter, if you want to move her, you'll have to put it back into place. I can walk you through it. Outside of that injury, she has three bruised and one broken rib, a severe concussion, and multiple lacerations and bruises. Medical attention is required."

"I know that, Karen. Obviously." Peter snapped, more angry with his AI than he had ever been for no reason. Then he tersely ordered, "Help me with her arm."

It didn't take long to rotate Michelle's shoulder back once Peter pulled the webbing off her hands. It made him sick and he winced at her muffled cry when the joint finally popped back into place. Once it was set, Peter laid his hand back on the side of her face as he held her stable and whispered, "I'm sorry, Michelle. I'm so sorry I had to do that." He could feel the tears in his eyes as the muscles in his jaw jumped while he tried to control them.

"Iz, 'kay." Michelle slurred in return.

Then Peter asked one last thing, "Karen, is it safe for me to take her home?"

"As long as there are medical professionals available, it will be acceptable, should I contact FRIDAY?"

Peter clenched his teeth at that and whispered, "In a minute, let me get started and then we'll call it in." He needed just a second to get her situated before he felt comfortable talking to someone at the Compound. He turned his attention back to Michelle and said with a little more conviction, "I need to take the mask back off, okay? I have to put it on…" Peter trailed off as he waited for a response.

"Yah, 'course." Michelle murmured, she didn't really want the restrictive thing on for much longer anyway.

Peter tenderly slipped it off her face and crammed it back onto his. Once the mask was in place, he webbed her hands together again and lifted them just enough so he could slid under them. He had the strength to hold her steady, he knew that, and he wrapped an arm under her before forcing her legs around his waist and webbing her shoes as well. When she instinctually curled into his chest, he closed his eyes hard as he breathed through the agony of her trust. They needed to go. If he swung, they didn't live far. But it also meant he needed to be incredibly careful. Firing a web up at the closest building, Peter landed carefully on the roof and walked to the other side. As he did, Peter quietly asked, "Karen, can you call my dad, please?" It was late but Peter knew Tony would answer. While the phone connected, he leapt off the roof.

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**Well, that's all I have for you right now! I hope you enjoyed it and feel free to let me know what you thought in the reviews!**

**I hope you have a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**-Lily**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone,**

**I hope everyone is doing awesomely and I have another chapter for you! And I'm realizing now that I might need to tone down these author's notes because they just do not fit with the rest of this story. So I'm just going to say thank you to those of you who favorited and followed, its cool to see those notifications come up. And I also want to acknowledge my reviewers so ****to:**

**\- the wonderful Horrorfan13, Thank you so much :) I hope you like this chapter too!**

**\- the awesome HHaines, Holy crap thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

**\- the fantastic LilyXJames, You'll just have to read and find out :) but I'm glad you're looking forward to the chapters and I hope you like this one!**

**\- the amazing DarkShadowNin, Thank you so much for that advice. I think I've gotten pretty lucky with that so far but its definitely always a threat when life gets in the way so thank you for reminding me to pay attention to that. I'm trying to pace myself but reading that reminder helps a lot. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**\- the superb carajiggirl, Thank you for reading it and I hope that it works out to be believable - at least that's what I'm shooting for. I hope you like this path!**

**Alright, that's all I have for right now so ****without further ado,**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Tony jolted awake as soon as he heard the incredibly loud tone he had set as Peter's ringer just to make sure he never missed a call again. As soon as he heard it, his hand scrambled across his nightstand as he tried to find the damnable thing. Eventually his fingers closed around it and he fumbled with it for another ring before he managed to answer. Tony's voice was scratchy as he worked passed the last of his deep sleep and answered the late night phone call with as much coherence as he could, "Pete? Waz goin' on? Wha' happened?"

Peter felt a bit guilty at waking Tony up and, even though he knew it wouldn't help, Peter couldn't hide his fear. It filtered through their mics when he whispered, "Dad, I need help. I need a med team at the apartment."

That did it. That chased away the last of his grogginess and Tony's voice immediately sharpened. His attention moved away from the phone speaker briefly as he called up, "FRIDAY, you heard him. Do it. Now." Then his voice softened as he turned it back to Peter, "What's going on?"

Peter weighed his words as he swung, he needed to get home, not break down. He carefully explained, "MJ was attacked and she needs help." Peter heard Tony clear his throat a few times before he spoke again, his voice significantly more strained.

Tony somehow managed to hold his voice even but the anger and worry were clear as an undertone as he ground out, "If it's bad, maybe you should take her to a hospital, Pete."

Peter jogged across another roof as he came into sight of their apartment building. Then he tried to explain, "Karen scanned her and said it was alright as long as there was a med team to take care of her." He lowered his voice, unconsciously worried about Michelle hearing him as he said, "She's scared, dad, and she doesn't want to go to the hospital. I…don't wanna make her if I don't have to."

Tony quickly backed off, "Sure…okay…We'll take care of her. No problem. There are people on their way now. Just…just keep her comfortable." There was a pause as Tony climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweatpants lying on the floor. Then he continued, "I'm coming too, by the way, I'll be there as soon as I can." He didn't hang up, he just stopped talking.

Peter knew Tony was still on the line and he felt an immense relief at that because he was petrified to hang up. But he also wasn't sure what else to say so he just let the line stay open as the soft mechanical hums of the booster filled his mask. It was calming in a way and that was something he desperately needed as Michelle continued to curl tightly into his chest.

After a few more buildings, he landed on their rooftop.

Peter carefully crawled down the side of the brick structure and slid open the window before he slunk through. Once he was in their living room, Peter cautiously lifted Michelle's arms up just enough so he could slide out from under them before he carefully laid her down on the couch. He pawed at his mask with one hand, successfully pulling it free before he knelt next to her. He brushed his hand across her face, feeling the bruises and bumps that were still forming along her hairline. Anger welled up in his chest even as he maintained his gentle attentions. He should have killed that man. Instead he asked, "Karen, did the cops get there?"

"They did. I contacted the police station once you were clear of the area. However, they will want to talk to Michelle at some point."

"Thanks." Peter mumbled before he turned his attention back to his girlfriend.

"MJ?" Peter asked quietly. He wasn't sure if he expected an answer because her eyes were closed and her breathing seemed to have evened out but then she turned her head slightly against his hand.

Michelle heard Peter say her name and for as much as she just wanted to sleep, she also knew he would worry if she didn't say anything. She rotated her head a bit as she tried to wake up a little more before she forced her languid eyes open. Her voice was rough and confused but she still managed to croak out, "Pet'r…"

Peter nearly lost his tenuous composure at that, she was never that weak and he hated it. He hated the silence that came after it too and he quickly tried to fill it in, "Yah, I'm here. There's a med team coming, okay? They're gonna help and that way you don't have to go to the hospital."

Michelle hummed her acceptance of the plan but didn't say anything. Her hooded eyes just slipped closer to closed.

Peter knew he was supposed to keep her awake. He shook her good shoulder and only stopped when she opened her eyes again. Her gaze fixed on him. Peter kept talking, "I'm gonna help you until they get here, okay?" He reached forward and pulled the blanket off the back of the couch, tucking her in and making sure she was warm. He resolved to talk about his patrols, something they normally did when he got home but it was harder than he thought. He swallowed hard and clenched his jaw for a few moments as he tried to work up the courage to tell her everything but the obvious. He nearly choked on the first sentence as he lied, "I had a pretty good night tonight. There…umm…there was a car thief who was pretty funny. He tried to convince me that he was just trying to break into his friend's car because the owner had forgotten to give him back his beer. There wasn't anything in the car but he tried really hard to convince me there was. I think you would have appreciated his conviction. And then there was a lady who lost her puppy. Karen was actually the one who found her, she was only a few blocks away and seemed pretty content to eat the treats her owner sent me with."

Peter trailed off when her eyes slipped closed again. And he couldn't hide his worry as he implored, "Michelle, come on, you gotta stay awake. You can't sleep yet." He shook her arm lightly, continuing through her annoyed grumbles until she opened her eyes.

Michelle just wanted to sleep and Peter wasn't letting her, he just kept waking her back up whenever she came close. But if he didn't want her to sleep, he probably shouldn't have made sure she was warm and comfortable. Still, he didn't stop when she grumbled her disappointment so she flicked her eyes open again and he stopped. It was becoming more difficult to get her eyes to focus and they wandered between Peter's face, the ceiling, and the back of the couch. When her gaze centered again on his worried face, Michelle whispered, "'m tir'd. Lemme sleep, Pet'r…wanna sleep."

Peter scrunched his face at that request and he brushed her hair back before he laid the hand against her cheek and explained, "I can't, Michelle. I can't let you sleep yet. I promise as soon as the doctors check you out, you can sleep as long as you want but I can't let you yet."

"Mean…" She murmured as her gaze wandered away from him for a moment before it found its way back.

"I know I am," Peter whispered, "But I need to be mean right now." He went back to telling her about his night until he heard the audible sound of boosters through the apartment walls. He let out a sigh of relief. That was backup. He had some backup now.

Peter normally would have gotten up to get the door but instead, he stayed where he was, watching Michelle's wandering eyes as he talked and praying that she would glance at him. Then he heard the sound of metal scrapping at their locks before Tony appeared in the doorway, keys dangling from his grip.

Tony's worried gaze immediately landed on the two in the living room. Michelle was laying on the couch with a blanket draped over her while Peter held her hand and talked to her, his mask discarded next to him and his suit still on. Tony could tell Peter knew he was there, so he quietly closed the door and stepped forward to lay his hand on his son's shoulder. As he did, he let his eyes wander to Michelle's face. He saw the bruises and the cuts and for a moment, he almost felt bad for the man who had come up against these two. Peter was strong but Michelle was tenacious and if the injuries he could see were any indication, she put up a hell of a fight before Peter got there.

Then anger slipped into his mind and Tony realized that if he was being honest with himself, if he ever found this man outside of police custody, he would have a hard time convincing himself not to kill him.

Peter didn't look up when Tony laid his hand on his shoulder, he just dropped his head to his chest and ground out, "Hey, dad." He paused for a moment before he asked the only thing he could care about, "Do you know how far out the team is?"

Tony recognized the tone, it was the same one he always defaulted to whenever there was emotion he couldn't control and he absolutely needed to. He nodded absentmindedly before he realized Peter couldn't see it and explained, "They should be here in about fifteen minutes. How is she?" Then he awkwardly sat down next to his son.

Peter looked up at him before he answered laconically, "She's alive…"

Tony thought he knew what his son was thinking and he rushed to cut it off at the pass, "You did exactly what you were supposed to do, Pete. This isn't your fault."

But Peter was painfully aware of that. This had been the act of one deranged man. This was the reason he did what he did. And he had stopped the man. So he made sure he expressed that knowledge with a savage snarl, "I know. I know it's not my fault. It's his."

Tony heard the dangerous current in Peter's tone and for a moment, he questioned if he would even need to kill the man who had done this. His voice was probing, tentative when he asked, "What happened to him? The man who did this."

Peter brushed his fist under his nose a few times as he pressed back tears and scrunched his nose before he explained, "He's not dead, if that's what you're asking." His tone was flat and disaffected as he continued, "He's unconscious and webbed to a light post."

"You're sure he's not dead?" Tony understood the fierce anger in Peter's tone and he was slow to believe him, even if he would never admit it.

Peter shrugged, "I mean, I don't think so. But I didn't stop to check." He looked up at Tony and added menacingly, "He definitely won't be waking up soon."

Tony swallowed hard as he comprehended what Peter had done and he asked, "How many times did you hit him?"

"Three."

Realizing that he couldn't blame him for whatever his answer had been, Tony asked hesitantly, "Did you pull your punches?"

Peter shook his head as he watched Michelle's wandering expression before he answered, "Not as much as I should have."

Tony immediately shook his head and squashed all thought of that, "There's no 'should have' with this, Pete. Whatever you did was less than he deserved." Tony left his hand on Peter's shoulder as his son went back to talking to Michelle. Tony would jump in from time to time but for the most part, he played the role of silent support.

Eventually, there was another knock at the door and Tony clumsily pulled himself to his feet to answer it.

Dr. Fry stood in the doorway with a small med team at her back. Without a word, Tony threw open the door wider and gestured for them to step inside. They didn't hesitate and after a quick glance through the dark halls, Tony pulled the door closed behind them. He waited in the small entryway as Fry talked to Peter, comparing what he had noticed to the information Karen had sent her. Tony watched as Peter talked stiltedly before Fry nodded and pointed at a generic place behind her. Without another word, she turned and got to work. As soon as his son was out of the thick of it, Tony moved over to Peter's side. He wrapped a tight arm around Peter's shoulders, giving him someone to lean on. And Peter took advantage, he curled into Tony's hold and wrapped his arms around his dad's waist, burying his head in his shoulder. Tony enveloped Peter as fully as he could, giving him a chance to hide. The embrace didn't last long but when Peter turned again, Tony didn't drop his arm and Peter didn't move out from under it. They watched the med team in silence for a handful of minutes before Tony glanced at Peter and said, "I'll stay here. Why don't you go change?"

As if he forgot he was wearing it, Peter glanced down at his suit and pressed his hand lightly against the smudges of blood visible on the blue fabric. Then he looked back up at Tony and murmured, "Yah I guess I should…"

Tony uncurled his arm from around Peter's shoulders and pushed him in the direction of the bedroom before he promised, "Go, I'll stay out here."

* * *

**I totally had to bring Tony into this and I have plans for some of the rest of the Avengers as well :)**

**Feel free to let me know what you thought in the reviews.**

**I hope you have a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**\- Lily**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone!**

**I kind of got on a roll the other day and ended up writing a bit more than I thought I would so I was able to get it cleaned up and ready to go a little quicker than normal. Thank you to everyone who favorited and followed the last chapter and special shout outs to: **

**\- the wonderful HorrorFan13, Thanks :) I hope you like this chapter too!**

**\- the superb carajiggirl, Yah I had to put Tony in there, I love writing his and Peter's relationship SO much! I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations!**

**\- the fantastic guest, Thank you so much for saying that :)**

**That's all I have for right now, so...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

When Peter came back out five minutes later, he looked slightly more composed. He had washed his face and changed into something more comfortable but as he stepped up next to Tony, he couldn't help but notice his dad's bearing. Tony was standing with his arms crossed tight over his chest and a frown set in his features. Peter hated the apprehension that posture radiated and his voice was tinged with anxiety when he asked, "Did they say anything?"

Tony shook his head and replied, "Not yet." The response, however, jarred him out of whatever he was thinking about. He turned to Peter, dropped his arms, and hurriedly added, "She'll be alright though, Pete. You know Dr. Fry's one of the best."

"I'm not worried about the physical injuries…"

Tony winced and glanced behind him again as he murmured, "Yah I know…" Then he turned back and ordered, "Peter, look at me." Tony waited until Peter's searing gaze met his before he continued, "This is probably not going to be easy. She's going to have a lot to deal with and that means if you're going to be there, you need to be all in."

Burning anger flared to life in Peter's chest at Tony's implication and he snarled, "Of course I know that…of course I'm all in."

Tony's eyes widened as he heard the anger in his son's tone and realized his mistake. He hadn't meant to question Peter's resolve and he rushed to backtrack, "I'm not saying you won't be, but you need to prepare for whatever that could mean…" He trailed off with a scowl as he tried to figure out what Peter needed him to say.

Peter blinked rapidly a few times as he seemingly came back to himself. He shook his head and ran his hands into his hair. Scratching at the back of his head a few times, he eventually dropped his hands in frustration and ground out, "Sorry, dad…I'm sorry. I just…I don't know what to do here." His eyes welled up as exasperation blended with his anger and he sniffed back tears, "I saw him hurting her, I saw him and all I did was stop him. I didn't kill him…why didn't I just kill him?" Peter clenched his fists at his sides and continued as fear overrode everything else, "What if something happens? What if he gets out of it? What if she sees him again? What if…"

Tony snapped his hand up and cut Peter off, bluntly stating, "Stop it. That won't help." Then he continued in a much more even tone, "You didn't kill him because you're a good person. And if he gets out, _we_ stop him. But you can't focus on any of that right now." He jammed his finger over his shoulder in the direction of the couch, "She's your concern. The rest of that does not matter until she's okay."

Peter felt the anger melt away, Tony was right and he knew it.

There was no reason to belabor the point so instead Tony slipped his arm back around Peter's shoulders. Peter didn't quite melt like he had the last time but he leaned into the embrace.

* * *

It took the med team another twenty minutes of assessment before Fry stepped over to them and explained, "She'll be okay. She's going to be incredibly sore in the morning and I'm going to leave one of the nurses here just in case but I'm not anticipating anything drastic." Then she turned to Peter and asked, "You said she was responsive and talking to you until we got here?"

Peter nodded.

Fry waited to see if he was going to say anything else. When he didn't, she frowned but continued, "Good. Then she'll only need to stay awake for about an hour and a half. As long as she's not showing any signs of traumatic injury, we'll let her sleep. I'm not seeing anything that would suggest a problem but with concussions sometimes issues can develop." Fry paused as she watched Peter closely. But when he glanced up at her with sharp eyes, Fry continued, albeit a little slower, just in case she lost his attention, "She is going to have to be mostly immobile for at least a week to allow her ribs to heal. And while I still strongly suggest that she comes into the Compound if she does not improve in a reasonable amount of time, I don't see a problem with her staying here with the Tower being so close."

Peter nodded along with her assessment but his eyes kept flicking to Michelle and he missed the point where he was supposed to respond.

Fry was a little uncomfortable with the continued quiet from the man in front of her and she unconsciously glanced over Peter's shoulder at Tony's worried face before she looked back at Peter and softly asked something that demanded a response, "Do you want to try to keep her awake or do you want us to do it? You look pretty exhausted yourself and if you want to get a few hours of sleep, you can and then we'll get you up when we need to move her. She can't sleep on this couch, it doesn't have the same level of free movement and it could aggravate her shoulder if she's allowed to sleep there."

Fry's question jarred Peter's attention back to her and when she started suggesting that he sleep, Peter shook his head but allowed her to finish what she was saying. Once she was done, Peter exhaustedly answered, "I think I should be the one to keep her awake. I'm afraid of what could happen if she nods off and someone she doesn't know wakes her up."

Fry was thankful he said that because she had been concerned about the same thing and she nodded sharply, elaborating, "Fine. We'll stay here until she's good to sleep and then we'll head to the Tower just in case we need to be closer for any reason."

Peter started to step away from her when Fry laid her hand on his arm and kindly whispered, "You did a good job with her shoulder by the way. It'll be sore but by setting it as quickly as you did, you saved her a good deal of nerve damage."

Peter nodded morosely at the praise, he wanted to protect her from all of it, not just some of it. When Fry didn't say anything else, Peter stepped away and crouched back in front of Michelle. He laid his hand on her cheek before he tapped it a few times and said, "MJ…come on, you gotta wake up."

Michelle was ready to be done being awake. There had already been a bunch of people in medical uniforms who kept asking her questions and poking and prodding her and now Peter was trying to wake her back up. She groaned her annoyance and kept her eyes resolutely shut. She knew in the back of her mind that she had to be on some painkillers but that was all the farther she got before the tapping came back followed quickly by a voice.

Peter tapped a few more times on her cheek before he ordered, "Michelle…wake up."

Michelle groaned again but then flicked her eyes open and snapped, "'m tired, Pet'r."

Peter frowned at the anger but his response was patient, "I know but Dr. Fry said that if you can stay awake for a little longer, then I'm not allowed to bother you anymore and you're allowed to sleep."

"No…" Michelle whined as she turned her head trying to hide behind Peter's hand.

"Yes." Peter replied firmly.

Even in her foggy mind, Michelle knew she was not going to win this fight so she scrunched her nose and conceded, "Fine."

Thankful that he managed to at least get her to agree to that, Peter sighed and asked, "Do you want to be here or in bed?"

Michelle tried to move a bit in her confined area before she answered lethargically, "Bed."

Decision made, she rolled, a sudden determination flaring up. She would get there on her own. But then a mysterious hand on her shoulder stopped her and immediately her adrenaline spiked.

Peter saw Michelle starting to move and he wasn't confident that she would be able to stand without falling so he put his hands on her shoulder to help keep her in place for a few seconds so he could get situated enough to help her. But almost as soon as she pressed against his restricting hand, her eyes flew wide. In a move that should have been too fast for her, she snapped her arm in front of her, cracking it against Peter's forearm with more strength than he expected. He recognized the move - it was something Natasha had taught her. Then Michelle started to squirm and struggle, as if she was trying to get away.

Peter yanked his arm back like he had been burned. His stomach twisted as he realized what he had done.

As soon as she felt the restraint disappear, the feral need to escape dissipated and Michelle looked up at Peter with surprising clarity. Michelle felt discombobulated but the adrenaline helped her focus and after only a few moments, she realized she was in their apartment. Meeting Peter's eyes, she quietly asked, "Good?"

Peter looked into Michelle's wide, trusting eyes and tried to answer her question without his own guilt leaking through. He managed to croak out, "It's alright. You're okay."

Michelle closed her eyes in lazy relief for a moment before she opened them again and asked, "Can I sleep now?"

Peter sighed and inched a little closer, fighting back the tears he could feel as he said, "Not yet, okay, MJ? I promise as soon as you're allowed to sleep, I won't wake you up."

Michelle pouted a little but whispered, "Okay." If Peter said she needed to stay awake, she wasn't going to argue. She continued to watch him as he shifted in front of her, even while her exhausted mind screamed at her to close her eyes for a minute.

Peter was confused by the sudden compliance and he shot a concerned look over to where his dad was standing with the doctor. Fry saw his question and quickly filled in what was going on, "It's the concussion. It causes a lot of confusion and one that bad will mess with her emotions, it's possible that she won't remember any of that after she's slept. And there's really nothing we can do to help her until she's had a chance to rest. You're going to have to be patient until she can piece everything back together and that can take a few days."

Tony looked between Peter and Fry before he took a halting step forward and knelt next to his son. He put his hand on Peter's shoulder and whispered, "Maybe you should let her stay here until Fry's convinced she's okay. It would probably be easier to move her once she's asleep."

* * *

Michelle somehow stayed awake for the proscribed time but Peter was painfully aware of how hard she struggled to do it. And as soon as Peter stopped bugging her, she was out almost immediately. That was his cue.

Peter slid his hands under her shoulders and knees and lifted her easily. He maneuvered her into their bedroom where Tony had already pulled back the covers so Peter could lay her down. As soon as Peter tucked her in, he settled back against the headboard. He wasn't quite ready to move away from her yet. In any case, Michelle seemed to appreciate the gesture because she turned toward him, her hands wrapping tightly in the fabric of his sweatshirt as she buried her head in his chest. Peter slipped his hand into her hair and held her. Once she was settled, Peter looked up at Tony and whispered, "I got it, dad. You don't have to stay."

Tony saw the despondent look on his son's face. This had cut deeply and Tony was determined to do whatever he could to make it even a fraction of the way better. He dismissed Peter's claim with a flick of his hand and a careful explanation that allowed for no argument, "Yah I do, Pete. I'm going to stay with you tonight. Pepper knows what's going on so I'll just stay in the spare room."

Peter couldn't argue with him, he knew he needed the support and he had learned long ago to take it. He whispered, "Thanks."

"Anytime." Tony turned slightly and glanced around the room until he landed on an old, overstuffed chair in the corner. As he tugged it forward, he huffed, "But I'm not going to sleep until you do because I know you and you'll stay up all night if I let you." Job done, Tony fell back into the chair.

"You don't have to do that…" Peter trailed off.

Tony gave him a knowing smirk and explained concisely, "Yah I do."

Peter was too tired to argue and he just let the matter drop. He wasn't quite sure it was an argument he wanted to win.

* * *

**That's what I have for now!**

**I hope you liked this chapter and feel free to let me know what you thought in the reviews.**

**Have a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**-Lily**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone!**

**I don't have much of an author's note for this one except to say thank you to those of you who favorited and followed and to make sure to give shout outs to:**

**\- the wonderful HorrorFan13, I'm glad :) That's definitely what I was going for so thank you!**

**\- the fantabulous Proud Hollander, Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. It's actually been really interesting writing those interactions because of the situation I chose so I'm glad that you like them so far, I hope that continues to be the case!**

**\- the amazing carajiggirl, Honestly, I can't do a story with Peter that doesn't involve Tony anymore, I love their relationship too much! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

**You guys are fantastic and I really appreciate the time you take to write your reviews, thank you so much :)**

**Alright without further ado,**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Tony watched Peter as he alternated between resting his head against the headboard and throwing a worried glance down at the woman in his arms every time she shifted. Peter normally twitched but this was much more directed than Tony had ever seen his nervous energy. Tony had expected that Peter would fill him in, to give him some understanding of what had happened but for once, his son didn't seem to want to talk. Still Tony knew that in order to help, he needed to know what was going on so, eventually, Tony leaned forward on his knees and carefully asked, "Pete, what exactly happened?"

Peter had been biting his tongue and hoping that Tony would fall asleep before he had to explain, even though he knew better than to expect that. Even though he knew that he needed to fill his dad in. But none of that made it any easier. So after silently debating the best way to explain, Peter swallowed hard and kept his eyes fixed on a point on the bedspread as he said, "I don't totally know…I only know that when I got there he was holding her down." Peter glanced down at Michelle for a few moments before he lifted his eyes to Tony's and admitted, "Dad…he was going to rape her. He said it…right to my face. There was no guilt, no remorse…nothing. He wouldn't have thought twice about it." Peter was sad and frustrated but more than anything he just felt directionless, seething anger.

Tony chewed on his bottom lip as he tried to figure out what to do with that. As much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, a part of him had assumed that was what Peter had meant when he called but Tony had been afraid to ask. Hearing it made his own anger flare and Tony spoke impulsively, making Peter a snarled promise, "Then we deal with him."

Peter appreciated the conviction in his dad's tone and he nodded as a few tears crept into his eyes. Peter had no doubt they would deal with this but a small part of him questioned exactly how.

Their conversation fell after Peter went back to focusing on Michelle.

* * *

Tony watched his son fight sleep and win that battle for maybe an hour more before he finally gave in and asked, "What's going on, Pete? You're tired I can tell, why don't you just go to sleep?"

Peter shook his head exaggeratedly before he whispered, "I can't."

"Why not?"

Peter was too tired to lie and without warning, the real reason spilled out as he hurriedly admitted, "She hit me…when I tried to pick her up to bring her home."

Tony tried to figure out how the two were connected without needing context but the seemingly disparate conversational vein threw him off more than he thought it would and after a brief pause he asked, "What do you mean?"

Peter swallowed hard and tried to tie together the threads, "After I…dealt with him, I tried to pick her up because I knew she should go to the hospital but she hit me with the branch…" A few tears fell as he choked out, "I don't think she knew it was me."

Tony forced himself to move passed the lump in his throat and instead he leaned forward, his voice placating as he whispered, "Peter, what she went through was terrible…" He trailed off as he tried to figure out what exactly he wanted to say. He let it slip around his tired mind for a few moments before he continued, "I bet she had prepared to deal with the worst outcome so when you got there, she probably had a hard time reconciling the two." Tony turned up his nose at how much he hated his explanation and he tried to shift the conversation back to Peter as he asked, "What does that have to do with you not sleeping?"

Peter realized he was doing a terrible job explaining himself so he blurted out the source of his anxiety, "What if I fall asleep and she wakes up and doesn't know it's me? What if I scare her?"

Tony's eyes went wide as he finally realized Peter's concern and he murmured, "Shit." But he couldn't just leave it there so he raised his voice a bit and explained, "I get that concern, Pete, but you have to sleep. You can't help her if you're too exhausted to think straight."

Peter knew that and hearing it come from another person was not what he needed, it just made him more frustrated. And without it being his intention, Peter growled, "That's not helpful."

"I know." Tony admitted, defeated by the blunt rebuff, "But there's not a lot I can say that'll be helpful right now...This is a shitty situation. The only thing I know about how to proceed is that you both need to rest."

The conversation fell awkwardly. Peter tried to squash his useless anger at Tony because he knew his dad was trying to help but he also felt backed into a corner and he wasn't sure how to deal with it. He just continued to fight sleep until eventually, he whispered, "She asked me if it was real."

Tony had been waiting for him to say something and so when he finally did, he asked frankly, "Pete, what do you mean?"

Peter sighed but explained, "There was one moment when it seemed like she could focus on what was going on and the only thing she asked me was if what was happening was real."

Tony watched the agony in his son's face and felt a deep burn wrap around his heart. He needed a way to explain this to him. Leaning forward again, Tony spoke softly, "Pete, do you remember when you helped me after Frank?" He waited until Peter acknowledged that terrible experience with a nod before he continued, "Everything I knew, everything I had imagined was _real_. Agonizingly real. Even after I saw you, it still didn't make sense because I was _so sure_ that I knew exactly what was going on." He paused again to let Peter digest that. He knew he was listening because Peter's eyes were locked on his, desperate for some kind of explanation that would make this make sense. Tony flicked his gaze down to Michelle before he carefully explained, "Her world for that moment was so centered on her terrible reality that you seemed fake. I would bet that she couldn't figure out what to believe when you showed up. And until she has a chance to reconcile everything, that's probably going to keeping being a problem. But you absolutely can't let that scare you away from helping her because regardless of what her stubbornness is going to tell her, she'll need help in some form or another."

"I know…I'm not leaving." Peter answered without hesitation.

"Good. Then you have to get over your own fear and focus on her. That's the only way this works. If she flinches, she flinches. If she need space, she needs space. If she's clingy, she needs to be clingy. You're probably going to have to continually prove to her that you are not the thing that's going to hurt her. She knows that's true but she's probably going to have to see it more overtly than normal." Tony paused as he collected his thought and succinctly added, "You need to work around what she needs. That's the thing that's going to matter. Which means, that right now, _you_ need to get some sleep."

Peter watched him with an intensity that Tony had not seen in a long time and he nodded along with everything Tony was saying. Quickly promising, "I'll do that, whatever she needs, I can do it."

Tony winced at the determination in his son's tone and not for the first time, he hoped Michelle had a quick recovery. Still, Peter had enough to deal with and Tony didn't want to pile on so he simply replied, "I know you will, kid." Tony mentally shook himself and asked, "And whatever you need from me, you'll tell me, right?"

"I will." Peter promised.

"Good," Tony hummed before he reiterated, "Then that means right now, you need to get some sleep. They've got her on strong enough painkillers that now's the time."

Peter's eyes widened in fear before he nodded in uncharacteristic obedience and he whispered, "Yah…I guess you're right."

* * *

It was nearing three in the morning when Peter finally nodded off. He was curled loosely around Michelle and resting mostly on his arm. Michelle was tucked closely to his side, still clutching his sweatshirt. Tony could tell it wasn't the most comfortable position but figured he ran the risk of keeping his son awake for even longer if he woke him up now. Peter healed fast, he could deal with a few crimps in his neck, so Tony let him sleep.

Tony was ready to sleep himself but he had a few odds and ends he needed to take care of first. He limped into the guest room and pulled out his phone.

Before he could even give a greeting, Pepper's worried voice cut across the connection, "Is she okay? What happened?"

Tony couldn't help but smile sadly at her concern. His voice was quiet when he answered, "She's alright. But Pete wasn't exaggerating when he said someone attacked her. They hurt her pretty bad, Pep." Tony sighed and continued, "They're both asleep now." Then he redirected the conversation, "Were you able to find anything out?"

"Yah." Pepper slipped easily into her professional demeanor, "The police found him but they didn't arrest him."

Tony knew she was going to explain but couldn't stop himself as he interrupted with a snarl, "Why not?"

Pepper, the eternally patient person she is, calmly explained, "He was unconscious when they got there and from what FRIDAY was able to find out, it took a few hours before he woke up. Apparently, the doctors are talking about severe trauma."

"Shit…" Tony swore as he pressed his fingers into his eyes and answered Pepper's unspoken question, "Pete hit him a few times. He told me he didn't exactly pull his punches."

"Yah, well, he probably should have this time." Pepper explained solemnly before she continued, "His name is Lucas Foswell. His father is some real estate developer based out of Texas. But from what I've found, he's been trying to expand his reach. When I looked into the name, I realized he's the one we bought the Tower back from." She paused for a moment and her voice dropped as she relayed the bad news, "There are already lawyers working to get the potential assault charges dismissed...Tony, this one's going to be a fight."

Tony shook his head as she laid that out and when he realized she couldn't see his gesture, he verbalized it, "Pep, I promised him…we can't let that happen."

Pepper's voice was a little harsher than he expected when she explained, "There's not much we can do about it. I can't send Stark Industry lawyers down there without raising suspicion. MJ is just Michelle Jones right now, she has no connection to us and neither does Peter." Her voice dropped sympathetically before she explained, "Unless they bring civil charges against Spider-Man, there's not much we can do. There's just no reason for us to be involved which means we could easily create more problems then we solve if we step in right now."

Tony grew increasingly frustrated at her logic before he conceded, "You're right…" Tony ground his fingers tighter into his eyes as he tried to stave off the impending, or continuing, migraine.

Pepper sighed heavily as she listened to the fatigue in his tone before she ordered, "Get some sleep Tony, we'll deal with this tomorrow. We're going to have to talk to Peter anyway because there's a good portion of this that's going to fall on his shoulders."

Tony became irrationally defensive and he snapped, "He didn't do anything wrong."

"I know he didn't." Pepper shot back before she continued in a placating tone, "And I'm not saying he did. What I am saying is that we have to look at this objectively and that means that Peter's going to have to deal with the fact that he put a man in the hospital…even if the reason for it was a valid one." Pepper sighed as she let the anger drain out of her tone before she whispered, "You should get some sleep, Tony."

Tony heard the anger slip and realized he was being stupidly unfair. He whispered, "I'm sorry, Pep. That was dumb. I just…I'm worried about them." Tony could hear the sad smile in her tone when she responded.

Pepper murmured, "I know, but they'll be alright."

Tony smiled despite himself at her perpetual optimism, "You're right."

Pepper's voice raised a bit, bolstered by his agreement when she said, "I'll come by tomorrow morning and we'll figure out what we need to do. We'll take care of this, Tony."

"Thanks, Pep." Tony whispered, reveling in her confidence.

"'night, Tony." Pepper returned softly, waiting for his answering wish before she hung up.

With the end of the call, Tony felt the oppressive weight of the night sitting on his chest and he allowed his mind to spin for just a few minutes. Only after that did he try to make a list of everything that would need to happen and he struggled to understand what his role in it was going to be. Unfortunately it was maybe an hour later when undeniable sleep started to tug at him. Instead of fighting it though, he took his own advice and crawled under the covers. He was asleep almost immediately.

* * *

**Feel free to let me know what you think in the reviews. **

**I hope you have a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**-Lily**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone!**

**I have another chapter that I wanted to get out because (just a heads up) life is going to be happening to me for the next month or so and I don't know if I'm going to be able to update as regularly as I normally try to do. It's nothing bad but its definitely going to be stealing my attention for a significant amount of time. Once all that's over though, I'll be able to get back into it :)**

**Okay, that's enough about that. You guys are so awesome! Thank you to my favorites and follows and for my amazing reviewers, ****thank you to:**

**\- the amazing Ceggle143, Yah I was thinking about how that would work and that is part of what lead to this story. I think it would definitely be possible but I think they would have to go through the Avengers, which could be really awkward but I think it could work. In theory, no one is above the law :/ I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

**\- the stupendous Proud Hollander, Your responses always make me laugh! I'm sorry-not sorry that you hate Lucas but don't quite crusade yet, there's a bit more that has to be set up for that to happen ;) Thank you so much for your amazing review and I hope you like this chapter!**

**\- the magnificent carajiggirl, Thank you so much! I love writing Tony because I feel like his character is equally hard and fun to write and I really, really love that challenge :) Thank you for taking the time to review, it means a lot! **

**Thank you guys so much for the continued support, it means a lot :)**

**So without further ado, **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Peter's first conscious thought was of pain.

His shoulder was asleep where it had been shoved into the headboard all night and his arm was asleep from his elbow down where Michelle had slept on it.

Peter didn't feel particularly rested but he knew that he had gotten some sleep. He carefully shifted Michelle off his arm so he could sit up and slowly work the pins and needles out of the quickly waking appendage. He groaned and winced as he slipped out into the living room partially to avoid waking up Michelle and partially because he needed to talk to Tony. His attention was fixed on his sleeping arm and so he stumbled when he finally heard familiar voices in his living room.

As he stuttered to a stop, still in his pajamas, his eyes darted between his new visitors, namely Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Pepper. Peter was thrown off kilter by the sheer number of people in his living room and he awkwardly stuttered, "He…hey everyone…what are you…uhh…what're you doing here?"

Tony looked up at him sheepishly but just shrugged apologetically.

Steve looked a bit self-consciously between Peter and Tony but ultimately explained, "When we couldn't find you for training this morning and we called Tony. He told us some of what happened..."

"So you…came over?" Peter winced when he realized how harsh that sounded and quickly tried to clear it up, "I'm sorry…I don't mean that…like it sounded." He scrunched his nose a bit before he continued, "Thanks for coming." It had been a long time since Peter had felt so unsure of himself with the Avengers but unfortunately, it was now proving to be just another source of frustration.

Natasha recognized his reticence and took the blame, "It was my fault." Then she elaborated, "I know we're being an inconvenience, Peter, but when Tony told us what happened, we wanted to let you know that if you need anything, you just have to ask. I guess that seemed easier in person..."

The way she trailed off left Peter wondering if there was an ulterior motive but he didn't want to guess. Instead, he slowly let out the breath he was holding and nodded before he whispered, "Thanks, Nat."

She tipped her head down in acceptance, her mouth set into a hard line before she added, "We'll be gone before she wakes up if you want us to be."

"Oh…okay, I mean you don't have to leave but I'm still a little confused as to why everyone's here…" He winced again as he tripped over his tongue. But when no one said explained immediately, Peter was left awkwardly standing in his living room and looking at his family.

After a few moments, Tony scoffed at the awkwardness and ordered, "Sit down, Pete."

Peter tentatively sat down on the edge of a chair. He held his back straight as he tried to anticipate whatever this conversation was going to be. But the pregnant pause caused anxiety to build in his gut. He tried to press it down, to keep it from escaping but if someone didn't start explaining the weight in the room soon, he wasn't going to be able to keep quiet.

Thankfully, Pepper started talking before it could boil over. She looked at Peter with sorrowful eyes but her voice was reassuringly direct, "Peter, we've had FRIDAY monitoring police communications since you called Tony last night. We've learned a bit about the situation and Tony was adamant that you were kept up to speed. So here's what we know: his name is Lucas Foswell. He has no criminal record that we could find, minus a few sealed records, but he has had multiple complaints against him that were dropped for one reason or another. That means this is essentially his first charge and his father's lawyers are already working to get it dismissed."

Peter really only heard the last bit and he sat forward aggressively. He tried but he couldn't control himself as he snapped, "What?"

Pepper shook her head before she explained, "They're not dismissing them, yet. But, all they have right now is Karen's report and the fact that he was webbed to a light pole. That's not enough. As it is, Karen's report is only enough to hold him on suspicion, not to charge him. That means you have seventy-two hours to make a statement before they have to release him. I'm assuming Michelle's not up to talking to anyone…" Pepper paused as she waited for Peter's anticipated negative response before she continued, "Then it has to be you. You're a witness, you can at least give the prosecutor the chance to file charges. They'll still need Michelle's statement but it'll give them somewhere to start and put his lawyers on the defensive."

Peter sat back heavily in his chair. He was terrified to leave the apartment right now. But, honestly, if he was going to leave anyone with her it would be his super-powered family…and then he realized what Natasha had been reluctant to tell him. He frowned at the slight deception but also appreciated the thoughtfulness. Even with that, he was hesitant to leave. But when he looked at Pepper's face, it was clear this really wasn't a choice. Without warning, he stood and started toward the bedroom, intention clear.

Tony's voice stopped him before he got too far, "Pete, she's not done."

Peter could hear the concern in his dad's voice and his hands started to sweat as his nerves spiked. Peter slowly turned to face the gathered group.

Pepper twisted a bit in her chair so she was facing him and then she bluntly continued, "You put him in the hospital, Peter. His doctors are talking about permanent memory loss. The problem is that works in the defense's favor. They're saying that since you had already stopped the altercation…" When she saw him open his mouth to protest, she raised her hands and rushed to add, "Their words, not mine." After Peter snapped his mouth shut, Pepper continued, "There was no reason for you to further pursue violence against him. So by knocking him out, you became the aggressor."

Peter took a hostile step forward.

Tony could see the fury clear on his son's face and he warned, "Peter…"

That response gave him a target and Peter turned his seething rage on Tony. It was ill-directed but he hissed, "I was the aggressor…" He turned to the others and spat, "I was the aggressor!" He took another angry step forward and tried to control his response but talking when he was uncomfortable was always easier than keeping quiet. All he could think about was seeing Michelle bruised and bloodied in the grass and he bared his teeth as he snapped, "He attacked her. He hit her. He broke her ribs." Peter threw his hand toward Tony, looking for some support when he demanded, "You saw the bruises and cuts on her face." His voice lowered into a dangerous snarl when he growled, "He planned on hurting her worse. Dammit, he was going to rape her." Then he asked incredulously, "After all that, how I am the aggressor?"

Tony watched him with unsure eyes. He didn't have an answer to that and he appreciated what Peter was saying because he agreed. He held up his hands and said, "I made the same argument but our reasoning doesn't necessarily hold up in court."

Unfortunately, Peter was angry and his rage was now directed at his dad. He accusingly growled, "You said it was okay. You said that what I did was less than he deserved." But the anger fled just as quickly as it had come and Peter's shoulders sagged as he looked at Tony like there was no one else in the room. He whispered, "Did I ruin this? Is he getting out of this because of me?"

Tony leaned forward and rushed to reassure him, "No. No he's not because I won't let him." Tony wasn't sure it was a promise he could keep legally but he wasn't lying. Not to his kid. His voice was comforting when he added, "You didn't ruin _anything_."

Peter held Tony's gaze as he tried to reason out how honest he was being. It took him a few moments but eventually, his stance relaxed slightly. Not nearly as much as Tony wanted but enough to let him know that Peter was not going to break. But he also realized that Peter needed an out so he quickly added, "Go get your suit, Peter."

Peter listened and stepped away from the group without another word.

As soon as he left, Tony glanced sideways at the group. He hadn't planned on telling the rest of the Avengers, deciding Michelle, or maybe Peter, should make that decision. Now, though, he was looking at the shocked expressions of Steve and Clint. Pepper had fixed him with a look somewhere between horror and wrath. But it was Natasha's expression that scared him. It was unflinching with none of the shock or horror of the others, it was just threateningly, terrifyingly hard. It sent a shiver down Tony's spine even though he knew the brunt of that seething anger was not directed at him. Still, no one said anything, unconsciously agreeing to wait until Peter left.

* * *

Peter carefully knelt on the bed. He watched Michelle for a few minutes before he gently laid his hand on her cheek and murmured, "MJ?"

She stirred but didn't really wake up.

Peter tried again. He gently shook her shoulder and said a little louder, "MJ? I need to talk to you really quick and then you can go back to sleep."

Michelle heard her name in the quiet recesses of her mind. The voice was gentle and soft and she instinctually knew the owner. It was someone that she very much liked talking to. She forced herself to wake up a bit more.

She slowly blinked her eyes open, a little confused when it took her longer to focus on Peter then she thought it should. There was brief moment where there were two of him and it took her time to force them into one image. Once she did, she smiled softly and whispered, "Peter…"

"Hey, MJ…" Peter intoned with a sad smile. He brushed a loose hair out of her face before he continued, "I have to go somewhere for a few hours but I promise I'll be home as soon as I can."

Michelle was confused by that. It was dull but she knew she had been hurt and he didn't seem like he wanted to leave. And if she was being selfish, she for some reason didn't want him to leave. Her voice betrayed her confusion when she asked, "Where are you going?"

Peter was worried about bringing up something that would trigger memories of what happened the night before since she didn't seem to remember it at the moment, so he lied. Peter felt bad but committed, "It's Avengers stuff, I have to go help Scott and Bruce with some quantum realm calculations."

Michelle narrowed her eyes as if she sensed his lie but couldn't put her finger on it. So instead she asked, "Do you have to do that now?"

Peter clenched his jaw tightly, trying to keep from getting upset at her perception before he lied again, "I do. But it shouldn't take more than a few hours, I promise."

"Okay," Michelle whispered, the suspicion only partially disappearing from her wandering gaze.

But Peter wasn't done and he added, "I woke you up to tell you that there are a few people who are here to keep you company until I get back."

Michelle couldn't fathom why there would be people there but nodded nonetheless.

Peter recognized her confusion but pushed forward anyway, giving her an idea of who it was, "Natasha, Pepper, my dad, Clint, and Steve are here and they're going to be here until I get back. But they know you're not feeling well so you can just go back to sleep. They're just going to be here if you need them."

Before he even finished, her eyes were starting to slip closed. Michelle was more tired than she ever remembered being before and she couldn't help but feel relieved when Peter told her to go back to sleep. She murmured her approval before she closed her eyes.

Peter sat with her until she fell asleep. He grabbed his suit, took one last look over his shoulder, and pulled the door shut behind him. He snapped his nanotech bracelets on before he said goodbye to his family and left.

* * *

As soon as the door closed behind Peter, Natasha turned slowly to Tony. Her eyes were fiery even while her voice was icy smooth when she accused, "You didn't tell us everything..."

Tony held up his hands in front of him as he answered, "I didn't think it was my place." He sighed and dropped his gaze as he explained, "Listen, Pete told me that when he was exhausted and I wasn't sure if he would want it repeated so I opted to just explain it to you the way he had explained it to me initially."

Clint put a hand on Natasha's shoulder and her eyes flicked toward him for a short minute. When she looked back at Tony, the icy chill had thawed a bit and she hesitantly nodded her acceptance of Tony's answer.

It didn't do much to lessen the pall that had fallen over the room and the gathered group lapsed into an awkward silence to wait.

* * *

**So that's what I have for you right now!**

**I had to bring the Avengers into this, it just felt so right to bring them in after how I've written them in the other stories. **

**Feel free to let me know what you thought about this chapter in the reviews!**

**I hope you all have a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**\- Lily**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone!**

**So I managed to get a bit written this week even with all the stuff that was going on and so i wanted to make sure to post the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**

**But as it tradition, I wanted to make sure to say thank you to:**

**\- the awesome Ceggle143, I'm glad you like the drama so much and yah I thought that would be the appropriate response for Nat so I'm glad that worked for you! I'm so glad that you like my story so far and I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**\- the fantastic carajiggirl, I had to include the Avengers because I love writing them so much! Especially Natasha, plus I love the idea that Natasha and Michelle would have been friends off screen. I'm glad you're interested in the legal aspect of this story. Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review!**

**Alright, that's all I have for right now so without further ado,**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

By the time Peter was finished talking to the police, every small noise or slightly too bright light was grating on his frayed nerves. He had been there for too long. Two and a half hours was far too long. So by the time he was able to leave, everything was irritating and he just wanted to get home. No one had called so he assumed everything was okay but he also knew that his dad would take care of anything short of an emergency to give him a chance to focus.

That realization reinforced how badly he needed to get home.

He didn't stop for any of the officers as he left.

He didn't say goodbye to anyone as he sprinted out of the station at a relatively respectful speed.

He didn't acknowledge the patrolmen who were coming back off their shifts. As soon as he had a foot out the front doors, he fired a web and swung away.

He couldn't deal with another delay.

* * *

Clint was in the middle of an old story, trying to distract the awkward tension in the room that hadn't dissipated with Peter's exit. Thankfully, the slightly absentminded story was interrupted when the front door clicked. Five sets of eyes shifted. Peter stepped inside adjusting his hoodie and without acknowledging the stares, quickly snapped the door shut behind him. He crumpled into one of the dining room chairs, leaning forward onto his knees and dropping his head into his hands.

Eventually, he scrubbed his hands across his face and acknowledged the gathered group with a quipped, "That sucked." But he sobered quickly and asked, "Did she wake up?"

Tony was watching him with unveiled concern and responded immediately, "No. She's not been up yet."

"Okay…" Peter wandered off. There was a small part of him that knew they were going to ask questions and he wasn't sure if he would be able to come up with the answers. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait too long until Michelle provided a worthwhile distraction.

* * *

"Peter?" Michelle whispered into the darkness.

She shifted, twisting to find the person that she remembered being with her. But the moment she moved, agony flared across her body. Her eyes snapped open as she unconsciously clutched her chest and tried to breathe through the jarring pain. She called out, louder this time, for Peter. Michelle knew that any other movement was going to hurt and she froze.

Michelle didn't have to wait long before the door cracked open, revealing bright enough light that it instantly triggered a splitting headache that throbbed in conjunction with the pulsing pain in her side. She groaned and slammed her eyes shut.

Then the click of a closing door promised reprieve.

When Michelle slowly squinted her eyes open far enough to see what was going on, she jumped when she saw Peter at her side. For a moment, she scrunched her face at her involuntary response but didn't pay it any mind once she noticed Peter's attention. An unexpected calmness washed over her and she focused when she realized he could tell her why every part of her body hurt. Quietly, she asked, "What happened?"

Peter forced himself to be calm. He didn't want to scare her. He also couldn't help but be selfishly pleased that at least for right now, she didn't seem to remember what happened. Still, he knew her and she wouldn't let that memory lapse stand, so instead, Peter asked, "What do you remember?"

"I…uhh…I don't." She closed her eyes hard against the severe headache that hadn't dissipated with the dark and even though she willed it to go away, it wouldn't. Instead, she pressed her fingers into her eyes and rubbed at the corners. Then she had a flash of a memory but it didn't make sense.

It was a thread though.

She closed her eyes a little tighter and pushed herself to work through the pain. That flash solidified. She snapped her hand down in surprise and looked up at him with wide eyes, "Why do I remember you in your suit last night?"

Peter dropped his gaze.

That in and of itself helped to answer her query. As if his question and that memory opened the flood gates, flashes of emotions started to slam into her. Michelle couldn't keep up with the onslaught and it was so disjointed that she couldn't force them into a discernible order. The only thing she knew for certain was that she had seen Peter. Michelle's anxiety spiked at the confusion and she demanded, "It was you Peter, I know it was you but…you…you had your mask off? Why would you take your mask off on patrol?" She shifted in her agitation and asked in a barely concealed panic, "Why the hell do I hurt so badly?"

"Michelle…" Peter started, well aware of what he had done, "you…umm…somebody attacked you last night. The reason why you remember me without my mask…" He trailed off when Michelle's terrified gaze finally centered on him.

She finished his statement, "Is because you're the one who found me." Then her eyes widened farther as she whispered, "You stopped him…" For a moment, Michelle thought she should be crying or raging or something but she just felt…numb.

She watched Peter's expression, focusing on the weird look she was seeing on his face and when she finally understood some of what she was reading, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Peter."

Of all the responses he had been anticipating, that one was not even on his radar. He stuttered, "Wh…why? Why are you saying that? I should be apologizing to you."

Michelle was not completely sure why she was apologizing but she couldn't shake the feeling that she should and she whispered, "I don't actually know but I need to. I…remember you being sad and angry and I don't want you to be." Michelle turned up her nose at the simplistic answer but she couldn't come up with anything more articulate.

Despite himself, Peter smiled miserably and whispered, "I'm happy you're okay. I'm really happy that you're okay."

Michelle shifted again, her anxiety getting the better of her, but it only caused her to groan when the motion pulled at something that was bruised or broken. She closed her eyes tight and breathed through the pain. When she felt like she had it controlled, she looked up and murmured, "Peter, I hurt really bad."

Peter's concern took over and he whispered, "I know, MJ. Do you remember why?"

She closed her eyes again and tried to sort through her muddled mind, only then realizing why it was so hard. She'd had dealt with this before and as she figured it out, she muttered, "Concussion…"

At least she had something akin to a plan for that. Michelle looked up at Peter, memorizing the concerned look on his face before she closed her eyes and tried to remember the last time she had seen it. Focusing as much as her pounding head allowed, she worked backward from that image. The memories slipped and evaded her but eventually, using each increasingly older memory as a link in a daisy chain, she pieced something akin to the actual events together. She didn't make it to the start and it was a struggle to maintain even the few instances she recalled in order, but she figured out probably the most important, and painful, elements.

_Well, shit_. She thought to herself.

And then she realized she wasn't quite sure how to react. Michelle flicked her eyes up to Peter, a small part of her hoping that he would have an idea of what to do.

Peter watched her expressions change as she slowly remembered. Eventually, she looked up at him but didn't say anything, so he tentatively asked, "What do you remember?"

"Enough." She said simply.

Peter frowned, confused at the flat tone. And he gave her a moment to elaborate before he cocked his head and asked, "Are you...okay?"

"No." Michelle answered honestly before she redirected the conversation in her deadpan voice, "What happened to him?"

Peter felt guilty. And he couldn't help the tears that sprang into his eyes when he admitted, "They caught him but I might have given him an out."

Michelle narrowed her eyes and tipped her head sideways, asking, "Why...how?"

Peter looked down at his hands before he admitted, "I was angry…really angry…when I saw it was you and I might have hit him a few times. I...uhh...put him in the hospital, MJ."

Michelle wasn't mad, she was just confused as to why that would matter. She looked up at him and whispered, "So?" But her attention was slipping and when he answered, she had a hard time following his explanation.

Peter pursed his lips and tried to think of a way to clarify something that he did not completely understand. Eventually he just started, "Since I hurt him and he doesn't have any prior charges, the police are worried that he might have the grounds for a lenient plea deal."

"'kay." Michelle muttered as she continually fought to force herself to focus on just that short sentence. It worked for a few seconds but ultimately, her mind wandered back to its pain. Pain that was all encompassing and that confused her. When her vision solidified again, she realized Peter would know why she was in agony. She glanced up at him and asked, "Why do I hurt so bad?"

Peter frowned and leaned forward, squinting at her. When he tried to grab her gaze, it jumped and shifted like she couldn't meet his eyes. Fry had told him that she had a really bad concussion and Peter sighed before he asked, "MJ, is your headache really bad?"

"Mm…hmm…" She hummed as she gave into the pain and buried her head back into the pillow, her eyes tightly closed. It wasn't quite enough and she twisted her head as she tried to get away from it and added, "Hurts."

Peter frowned before he pressed a light hand to the side of her face, giving her something tangible to focus on. When she opened her eyes again, he explained, "MJ, maybe you should get some more sleep and I'll get you something to eat. I can wake you up when it gets here."

"'am hungry…" She trailed off, eyes wandering away.

"I'll get you something. And then you can take some more pain medication. It'll help." He promised before he pressed a light kiss to her temple. She was asleep before he finished his thought. Peter gingerly slipped away and out into the living room.

* * *

He was met with a chorus of voices, all variations of concern.

Peter answered as many of the questions as he could in one response, "She's alright but she's really confused, I think she remembers some of what happened but her headache is bad and she can't really sort anything out. She said she's hungry though so I'm gonna go grab something." He looked sheepishly at the others and said, "Do you guys want anything? We don't really have much here."

Natasha responded with a curt order, "You stay here." Then in an attempt to soften the command, she added, "She's asking for you not us, Clint and I will go."

Peter pulled his head back in surprise at her tone but shook his head. He looked specifically at Natasha when he explained, "She's probably going to want to talk to you once she knows you're here."

Natasha shrugged but still rebuffed him, "And if she does, I'll be here. But right now, she needs you...so you stay and we'll go grab food."

* * *

The collected Avengers stayed for the better part of the day but after Michelle forgot they were there twice, Peter wasn't willing to put the extra stress of continuing to remind her his family was in their apartment. Instead, he stayed with her when she was awake and stayed with his family while she slept. It wasn't hard, she ended up sleeping for most of the day. The medication knocked her out.

It was only early evening when Peter started to nod off. They were watching a movie and he was pressed into Tony's side on the couch. Tony had wrapped his arm around his son and had tugged him close, giving him a chance to sleep. But eventually, the movie ended and Tony nudged his oldest before he quietly asked, "Pete, do you want us to leave?"

"No…'course not…" He murmured into Tony's shoulder, curling a little closer.

Tony chuckled at his groggy good manners and carefully turned to the others, "I think it's time for us to go."

Natasha glanced over to the sleeping man and smiled softly before she slapped Clint's knee, "Come on…Tony's right. We should let him get some sleep." She stood gracefully, the others following.

They said their goodbyes and were gone. It was only after they left that Peter realized he was more exhausted than he had been willing to admit.

And more alone.

The apartment was quiet and Peter took a few seconds to look around. There wasn't really anything for him to do so he decided on sleep. Michelle was already out and Peter crawled into bed next to her. Laying much like he had done the night before, Peter tried to get comfortable. Without waking up, Michelle turned toward him and curled close. Peter was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

It was late in the night when something demanded his sleepy attention. And once that happened, it didn't take long for Peter to recognize the build-up of a nightmare.

In his groggy state, he rolled over and wrapped Michelle in a hug. It always worked to ground him and Tony, so he wrapped her up tight and whispered to her. It wasn't anything specific but he tried to remind her where she was.

But she still continued to suck in air rapidly.

_Michelle felt arms tighten around her, pinning her hands to the side, and keeping her from escaping. She saw him lean over her, pawing greedily and tearing her clothes before he smacked her and forced her to kiss him. Michelle fought as hard as she could but still, those constricting bonds wouldn't loosen. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and her lungs were having a hard time pulling in enough air to keep her from feeling light-headed but she still struggled._

_None of it phased him, he kept going. She felt her clothes tear and in that moment she finally screamed._

Peter's stomach dropped when Michelle's blood curdling scream cut through the stillness of the night. It terrified him completely awake and he realized too late that what he was doing was not helping. Without a better option, he let go and scooted away from her, even as he continued to talk. He tucked his hands in close to his chest and prayed she'd wake up on her own.

_Michelle felt the arms disappear and looked up to see him gone. She was free._

She slowly opened her eyes, only to see Peter laying next to her. For a moment, there was a momentary flash of doubt but then Peter leaned forward and laid his hand on her cheek, like he had before. Michelle felt the fear flee. She was safe. Her lips quirked in a mockery of a smile that she couldn't quite force but she whispered in relief, "Peter…"

Peter closed his eyes tight for a moment as he swallowed back everything he could before he looked at her again. When he did, his voice was composed, "Yah, MJ, it's me."

Michelle took one more moment to reassure herself that it was Peter before she reached for him, ignoring the pain the motion caused because she needed the comfort. As he slid back toward her, she wrapped her hands tightly into his shirt. The proximity helped her slow down her breathing. Then his arms tightened around her back and she snuggled just a little closer. She was safe.

Once she calmed down, Michelle pulled away from him enough to meet his eyes and whisper, "I'm sorry."

Peter looked down at her in sadness but his voice held a reassuring conviction when he said, "You don't have anything to apologize for. I'm here for whatever you need."

Michelle nodded and ducked her head back into his chest before she murmured, "Thank you."

Peter wrapped her up tighter and pressed a kiss into her hair, "Always, Michelle." And he swore to himself that always literally meant as long as she needed, then he added, "Why don't you try to get some more sleep?"

She fell asleep pretty quickly after that. Unfortunately, that only lasted for a scarce few hours before she woke up screaming again.

Like before, Peter held her until she calmed down and drifted back off to sleep but then he took a pillow and made a bed on the floor. He wasn't sure why but it seemed like the best option. He assumed that her waking up to his arms wrapped around her was the problem. And as much as that realization hurt, it didn't change the situation. At least if he was on the floor, he was close enough to get to her if she needed him.

* * *

**Okay so that's all I have for right now!**

**Feel free to let me know what you thought in the reviews. **

**I hope you have a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**-Lily**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everyone!**

**I was able to get another chapter done this weekend and so I wanted to put it out there to try to keep up with my normal publishing pattern. **

**I don't have much in the way of author's notes for this one, only to say thank you to the lovely Ceggle143, I'm really glad you liked that detail. When I thought of that I knew I had to add it because it would totally be something he would do! And thank you so much, I'm glad you're enjoying the story and that the aftermath works. I hope you like this chapter too! **

**That's it for me and so...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It took Michelle nearly a week to get over the worst effects of the concussion. For the most part she rested and tried to heal. Peter stayed with her, keeping her company when she was awake and helping her chase the nightmares away when she woke up at night. He made sure she took her medication on time and ran out constantly to grab food.

And every day, Michelle felt a little better physically. Her bruises were deep and stayed tender longer than she wanted and the butterfly bandages holding together some of the deeper cuts pulled at her skin as they encouraged the healing process, but she was getting better.

It slowly became easier to concentrate but unfortunately, without the concussion to keep her recollections suppressed, flashes of moments morphed into memories that brought unwanted clarity. And with her returning concentration, her nightmares worsened. That pain was compounded when she woke up because she was reminded how much she hated the fact that Peter was sleeping on the floor of his own bedroom. For her. It wasn't right and a large part of her knew that she really just wanted him next to her. So in a bid to end the nightmares and get back to normal, she finally worked up the courage to tell him everything.

Peter was sitting at the kitchen table with his back to her when she came out of the bedroom. He was working on one of the projects he had brought home from the Tower while she got ready. As she stood in the hallway, she couldn't help but watch him and she smiled as he cursed when the wrench slipped free. She waited until he calmed down before she took a few more steps and asked quietly, "Peter?"

Peter heard her footsteps behind him but he knew that using his senses sometimes freaked her out so he waited until she said something. When she did, he immediately set down his tools and turned to face her, "Yah, MJ?"

Michelle swallowed her nerves and forced what she had been thinking into words, "Can I…uhh…can I talk to you about what happened?"

Peter felt a swell of relief when he heard that. She had been unwilling to say much so to hear her even suggest it, led to a torrent of positive assurances, "Yah, of course. Yah…whatever you need."

Michelle listened to him nearly trip over his agreement and cocked her head to the side before she asked, "Are you sure you're okay with hearing it?"

"Will it help you?" Peter asked quickly, desperate to keep the focus on her. When she nodded hesitantly, he continued, "Then it doesn't matter if I'm okay with it or not." He paused as his confidence wavered and he added, "Wait, do you think it will help you or do you think you _have_ to tell me?"

"A little bit of both I think," Michelle answered honestly before she continued, "But…I think I need you to know what happened."

"Okay." Peter quickly agreed again. He glanced at his hands for a moment before he looked back up and asked, "Where do you want to be…?"

She shrugged noncommittally, "Here's fine…" She sat down rigidly straight in the chair, groaning as the motion pulled at her injuries but she refused to let that stop her. Instead, she crammed her hands together into a fist, squeezing hard before he looked up at him. Her voice was disaffected and cold when she began, "I had gotten done with the translations a little earlier than I thought and I knew you wouldn't be back for a few hours so I stopped at that dive bar that we found a few weeks ago to get a drink and finish my book…"

* * *

It didn't take her long to explain because she stopped at the part of the story Peter already knew. As she finished telling it, the cathartic experience she had been hoping didn't wash over her and the weight sitting heavily on her chest was still there. So when she finally looked up at Peter and saw the tears in his eyes, she couldn't help but question her own sanity. Why wasn't she upset?

Peter listened to Michelle's story with barely contained rage and sorrow. As she told it, he couldn't quiet the part of his brain that wondered why he didn't cave that man's skull in. He felt the tears building but he refused to let them fall. He also was a little worried about why Michelle didn't seem upset. He was furious hearing it. It was worse seeing the physical reminder on her face while she recounted everything but now that she was quiet and expressionless, Peter couldn't help but ask, "Did that help? Are you…okay…" He shook his head before he murmured, "I don't know how to ask that…"

Michelle furrowed her brow as she tried to find the rationale behind her reaction. She didn't feel better at all…she didn't feel worse either. She felt...stuck. So she whispered, "I don't…know…"

The rest of their day passed in awkward exchanges and glances. Peter was worried that her sharing had been a bad idea and that he had done something wrong by listening. He tried to avoid bringing it up, afraid of somehow hurting her worse.

Michelle was horrified by the fact that telling Peter hadn't alleviated any of the pressure she wanted it to and now she was even more nervous about trying to sleep.

In the end, it didn't help. None of it did.

Like every night since the attack, Michelle woke up screaming and like every other night, she had to watch the pity flash in Peter's eyes before he could hide it and comfort her.

However, as she drifted back to sleep this time, Michelle realized she hated Peter for his empathy.

But more crucially, she realized she hated herself for failing to be strong enough to deal with something when it actually mattered.

* * *

A few days later, detectives showed up at their door.

Peter answered and unconsciously started when he saw two men with badges pinned to their jackets. He knew both of them by name but only just managed to catch himself as he sputtered, "Hello, Detective Ma…detectives." Then he recovered, "What can I do for you?" He could have kicked himself for how stupid that sounded, of course he knew why they were there.

They oddly didn't seem surprised by his apparent ignorance and the silver-haired officer, seemingly the older of the two, responded with his own question, "You are?"

Peter quickly pulled his hand up toward his chest, "I'm...uhh...Peter...Parker."

The older man smirked at Peter's apparent nervousness and kindly said, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Parker. Is there a Ms. Jones here?"

Peter finally got control of himself before he responded, "Yah, yah she's here." He opened the door a little wider and invited, "Come in." Then he absentmindedly threw a thumb over his shoulder and added, "She's right in here."

Peter led the detectives back to the living room and as he did, he called out, "Hey MJ, there are some detectives here to talk to you."

Michelle was already sitting on the couch and Peter brought two of the kitchen chairs over so they could sit down across from her. Then he sat down next to her, sitting up straight and offering as much protection as he could without being domineering.

Both detectives looked at Peter for a moment before they turned their attention to Michelle. The man who had first spoken to Peter leaned forward and asked deferentially, "Ms. Jones?"

Michelle sat up higher and met his eyes before she responded, "Yes."

The senior officer sat back slightly before he continued, "I'm Detective Mauro and this is my partner, Detective Ripsin. I'm afraid that we need to talk to you a few things." He threw a quick glance over to Peter before he asked, "Would you prefer we talk in private?"

Michelle understood what he meant, shook her head, and coolly explained, "Peter already knows everything. I would prefer he stays."

Peter glanced at her and leaned close enough that he could whisper, "Are you sure you want me to stay MJ?" It wasn't that he didn't want to but he knew she hated telling the story and he wasn't sure if she wanted to repeat it to him again.

Michelle didn't say anything, just nodded sadly. Peter saw the flash of agony in her eyes before she covered it and turned away from him. In that moment, Peter would have done anything to take her away from this and everything in him was screaming at him to do so but he knew he couldn't. Instead, he pressed his shoulder more solidly into hers.

Michelle leaned almost imperceptibly into his comfort before she squared her own shoulders and looked back at the detectives. Her voice was flat when she asked, "What do you need to know?"

* * *

They were there for over two hours. Michelle corroborated the report Peter had given and clarified some of the events that only she and Lucas knew the answers to.

Finally, Ripsin asked, "Do you have any questions for us?"

Michelle looked up and felt the anger seep through when she growled, "What happened to him?"

Ripsin glanced at Mauro for a moment and the older man nodded before Ripsin answered, "He's currently recovering at Bellevue. It seems that Spider-Man did a number on him before he brought you here." Then Ripsin looked at her a little suspiciously and added, "There is actually one more thing we need to ask." He paused like he was waiting for her to respond but after only a brief silence he barreled ahead without it, "Why would Spider-Man bring you here and not take you to the hospital?"

Michelle had to force herself to avoid glancing at Peter and instead she responded as evenly as she could, "I don't know. I asked him to bring me home and he did what I asked. I must have told him where we lived."

Ripsin didn't seem to believe her and asked, "But you don't remember that?"

Michelle snarled, "It gets a little fuzzy after Spider-Man stopped the attack. You know, after I hit my head on the concrete."

Ripsin sat back abruptly and seemed to think better about pushing further. Instead, he looked at Peter, "And you were here when Spider-Man brought her back?"

Peter nodded before he elaborated, "I had just gotten home myself and was getting ready for bed when he brought her through the window."

Ripsin narrowed his eyes at Peter and his voice echoed that suspicion, "And you didn't ask any questions, you just accepted what he told you?"

Peter returned the skeptical expression before he sat up higher and explained in a slightly condescending tone, "I work at Stark Tower as a senior engineer…I've met him before, a few times actually. I work on his suit with Tony Stark."

Mauro chose then to jump in, "You're a senior engineer? You're pretty young for that, aren't you?"

Peter didn't drop the unnatural condescension, "I was an intern for Tony through most of high school. _He_ trained me. I'm the youngest in the department but my age doesn't determine my standing in the company. I know Spider-Man through that job. I don't know his real identity but I know Tony and the Avengers trust him and he would never willingly hurt someone so when he brought her home, I thanked him and took care of her." When the detective's apprehensive gaze didn't soften, Peter pulled out his phone and scrolled to Tony's number before he handed the device over and challenged, "Call him. Tony will corroborate everything I just told you."

At that dare and the obvious name on the screen, Ripsin's suspicious glare softened and his voice lost its accusing edge as he nodded to Peter, muttering, "I'm sorry, Mr. Parker." Then he turned back to Michelle, "I apologize for that, Ms. Jones." He shifted his gaze between the two before he continued, "You have to understand, there were irregularities with your story that our DA needed explained before we could move forward with the charges."

Michelle sat forward and asked hopefully, "So you will be charging him?"

Ripsin nodded, "Unless something significant changes and you don't drop your complaint, yes."

Then Mauro jumped in, "But from what I've been able to glean, this will not be an easy trial."

Peter felt Michelle's shoulders slouch incrementally but he kept his mouth shut.

Michelle nodded and her voice was clinical as she added, "I've been told that too."

Then Mauro leaned forward and looked between her and Peter before focusing on her once more. He quietly inquired, "Ms. Jones, have you talked to anyone? Other than your…" He flicked his hand to Peter before he continued, "boyfriend about this? I could get you in touch with some counselors to help you work through what happened."

Michelle straightened again, unconsciously defending herself before she dismissed the question, "I've been talking to someone but I appreciate your concern."

Mauro watched her for a long moment before he looked over at his partner and ended the conversation, "If that's the case then that's all we need from you right now. Please keep getting better and we'll stay in touch." Both stood and took a few purposeful steps toward the door. Peter followed but when Michelle stood too, with an audible groan, Peter put his hand gently on her shoulder.

In a rare display, Michelle backed off and Peter followed the detectives out.

As he pulled the door open, both men stepped into the hallway but Mauro turned back and said, "Mr. Parker, if she's not really talking to someone, she needs to because she is suppressing something pretty significant."

Peter nodded. He knew that already. And he forced himself to keep his voice even as he lied, "Thank you, Detective Mauro but she is talking to someone other than me." He thought about explaining more but the lie was enough and instead he gave the men a tightlipped smile, closing the door behind them.

When Peter came back into the living room, Michelle was sitting on the couch staring at the dark tv. It took him about two seconds to realize how right Mauro was and that the visit dredged up more than Michelle was willing to admit. In an attempt to get her mind off it, Peter suggested they go for a walk. Fry had recommended that Michelle get back into more normal activities to help her continue to deal with the concussion. And Peter had been noticing she was going a little stir crazy in their small apartment. So now with the added weight of having to tell that story again, Peter thought it might be a good idea to just get out.

Michelle quickly agreed.

* * *

At first it had been fine. Michelle had been quieter than normal, not quite as responsive to Peter's stories but still engaged. They walked the blocks near their apartment and tried to find a restaurant that sounded good for dinner, but Peter could tell the exercise was only helping a bit.

After only a half an hour or so, Michelle looked at him and asked quietly, "Can we just get some take out and go home?"

Peter responded immediately, "Yah, of course." Then he asked a little skeptically, "Are you okay?"

Michelle took a moment before she responded, "I'm good, I'm just getting kinda tired."

"Okay, sure, let's go." He turned toward home but was a little surprised when she folded her hand around his arm. On instinct, Peter wrapped his arm around her shoulders, half expecting her to shrug him off but when she leaned in, he couldn't help but worry. He didn't vocalize any of that though, he just pulled her as close as he could.

* * *

**Alright, that's all for now. Unfortunately, for MJ it's going to get worse before it can get better :/**

**Feel free to let me know what you think in the reviews.**

**I hope you all have a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**-Lily**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone,**

**I don't have much of an author's note for the beginning of the story but there is a longer note at the end if you're interested in my rational for a piece of a character backstory in this chapter. **

**Other than that, I want to make sure to say thank you to:**

**\- the wonderful Ceggle143, You'll just have to read and find out :) I'm really glad you like the details! And thank you so much for saying that! I love trying to figure out where to fit them in because I think its really fun to write that stuff so thank you for saying that. And thank you for the comment on the characterizations :), that's my favorite part of writing so I'm glad that they're making sense and working for you.**

**\- the amazing carajiggirl, You have to read and find out :) And thank you so much for commenting and asking questions! It's really cool to think about how readers are reacting to events in the story. I thought that made sense, I always kinda felt bad for cops in stories where they don't pick up on stuff like that, especially because the few cops I know are REALLY observant. So I'm glad you appreciated it.**

**That's all I have so,**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

When they got back into their apartment, Peter watched as Michelle physically relaxed and he could have kicked himself for not recognizing her nervousness for what it was. She was scared. And he hadn't realized it. Peter watched as she dropped heavily onto the couch, groaning when the absentminded motion jarred healing injuries. Moving on instinct, he crouched down in front of her and nearly begged, "MJ, would you talk to someone about this?"

Michelle knew this had been coming. He had been watching her like a hawk when they had been out and she knew that he was going to say something. Almost immediately, she resorted to deflection. Her voice bordered on insecure when she promised, "I'm alright, Peter, I don't need to talk to anyone. Nothing happened."

Peter watched her eyes harden as she rebuffed him. He sat back a bit and tipped his head in disbelief because it took him a second to process exactly what she said. Then he pressed earnestly, "Something did happen though." He met her eyes before he continued, "And it's okay to talk to someone about it."

Michelle tried to ignore the truth in that. Obviously something had happened, she had just told two detectives the truth of that, but there was no way that it was as bad as she was acting like it was. Peter had stopped the attack before anything could happen. She stared at him as she worked up the conviction and then she swore, "_Nothing_ _happened_ to me." But when Peter didn't immediately drop her gaze, Michelle defended herself, "I don't need to talk to someone. Nothing he did was worse than anything I grew up with. I've dealt with this before and I'll get over it like I always have. I just need to sleep. Then I'll be able to shake this." Unfortunately, none of the surety in her voice made it to her expression.

Peter's eyes flicked over her face as he tried to figure out her enigmatic expression. He knew about her family life, had known since they had started getting serious, but this was no where near what her past had been. He needed to make her see that but he also knew he couldn't bluntly contradict her. Instead, he tried to find the middle ground, "MJ, you haven't had to deal with that since freshman year. And this wasn't your dad screaming…that man attacked you. He hurt you." He reached forward and grabbed her hands where they were lying in her lap, selfishly thankful when she didn't pull away. He continued, "But none of that matters because you have been sleeping and it's still not helping. I don't think it's just about getting a good night's sleep."

Michelle gripped his hands desperately, even while she contradicted him, "There's no way you can know that. I've dealt with this for a long time, I'll be fine. And I haven't been sleeping. Not really." Michelle could feel hot anger building and she hated it, she didn't want to be mad at Peter. At all. But she couldn't stop herself as she brusquely corrected, "You know I haven't really slept because of how painful it's been."

Peter absentmindedly shook his head before he gently corrected her, "MJ, you wake up screaming. That's not pain…that's a nightmare. Trust me, I know the difference."

Michelle twisted her face as sorrow joined the rage because he was right. Between the two of them, he sadly had more experience. She had only ever seen his nightmares and his conviction bolstered a part of her mind that realized she was wrong. Still, that truth couldn't win because if he was right that meant she was weak.

_Nothing had happened to her._

She rejected her inherent weakness as his honesty reverberated around the rational part of her mind. But Michelle couldn't allow herself to be that pathetic. Instead, she snapped, "You don't know everything, Peter. Just because you've helped others doesn't mean that's what's going on with me."

Peter pled, "Why can't you just admit it, MJ? It's okay that you have nightmares…it's okay." Then he added, "No one will think any less of you…not after what happened."

But her rage solidified, beating back the rationality of his argument, and she snarled, "I'm not worried about what everyone else thinks about me."

Peter's own anger and frustration slipped closer to the surface and he accidentally snapped back, "You can't lie to me, Michelle. Stop trying."

That directness pissed her off, Michelle knew their fight was spiraling but she couldn't stop it. She needed to defend herself and she spat with misplaced venom, "Who do you think you are, Peter Parker? Why do you think you know me so well that you can tell _me_ what's going on in _my_ head?"

Peter pulled back as he realized what was happening. He couldn't fight with her, not right now, not about this. Definitely not about this. He forced himself to take a breath and calm down. Once he felt suitably composed, he whispered, "I'm sorry, MJ. I'm just trying to help. I promise, I don't want to make you angry."

Michelle wanted to calm down, to stop fighting but his partial capitulation made her angry and she continued to press furiously, "You can't always help, Peter. Just because you think you know the answer doesn't mean you do. I'll get over this on my own, I don't need your help."

Peter clenched his teeth as he held back frustrated tears. It was hard for him to watch someone he loved tear themselves apart, still he backed off. He met her eyes and offered a whispered promise, "Fine. But whenever you figure out what you need Michelle, I'll be here."

Michelle cherished that complete surrender. It made her sick when she realized that it made her feel accomplished, relieved that she had won…something. Then as soon as that feeling was realized, she felt the horrifying shame that came with reveling in her boyfriend's pain. When that embarrassment became overwhelming, she stood abruptly, pushed passed him, and ran into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

Michelle wanted nothing more than to cry but she couldn't even force the tears to come. Instead, she growled in vexation and reached out blindly to grab the first thing her fingers closed around. It was a picture frame but all that mattered at that moment was that it was light enough to throw. She slung the offending object toward the wall. It slammed into the plaster next to the bed and shattered on impact. The sound of breaking glass was unavoidably audible through the quiet apartment. But once the world quieted again, Michelle fell back into the door. She slid down the wood and dropped onto her butt before cramming her head into her hands because she couldn't curl her knees into her chest without pain.

As she steadied her angry breaths and pounding heart, she realized none of that release made her feel better.

In fact, it made her feel worse. It made the phantom pressure sitting on her chest coil just a little tighter.

That was a reality compounded when Peter knocked on the door at her back. His worried voice cut through her raging consciousness when he quietly asked, "Are you okay, MJ?"

She forced herself to answer with a snarl, "I'm fine. It's nothing." She waited with bated breath as he paused at the door for a few moments before she heard his footsteps pace away. Even with all that, she couldn't take her eyes off the shattered picture.

* * *

Peter stayed where he was crouched on the floor after she yanked her hands free and stormed away from him. He wanted to chase her but knew that was a selfish goal, not one that would actually help her.

Instead, he stayed where he was even when she slammed the door shut behind her. It was only after he heard something shatter that he jumped up and ran to their bedroom. He kept himself from pounding on it, suppressed the urge to break the door down, and instead he calmly asked if she was okay.

He waited until he heard her answering response and while it wasn't what he wanted, she didn't sound hurt so he gave her space, heading back out into the living room to sit and hope that she would come out to find him.

She didn't.

Peter sat on the couch with a book in his lap for hours as he attempted to distract himself from the situation. Eventually, he gave up and decided to try to sleep. He crept into their bedroom when he realized that Michelle was already asleep. He watched her sadly for a few moments before he laid down on the floor and let his exhausted mind drift away.

* * *

Michelle jerked awake as the last images of her nightmare, that wasn't a nightmare, faded. When her eyes popped open and her hitched breathing slowed, she was groggily able to make out the world around her. And the first thing she saw was Peter already standing at the side of the bed, his hands clasped tightly in front of him as he waited for her to explain what she needed.

She hated herself for the look on his face. She didn't deserve it, _n__othing had happened to her._

Then her need for help took precedence and she reached for him. As he sat down and gently pulled her close, Michelle tucked into his chest as tightly as she could. But she couldn't ignore the self-loathing that battered at the edges of her mind when she realized that she _needed_ him to hold her or she was going to break apart. That shame, blended with her exhaustion and sadness, made Michelle hollowly whisper "I'm sorry" into his chest. Only for the answering vibrations to assure her that it was fine. That he was there to help her with whatever she needed.

It was the same thing he had been saying since the beginning and for as much comfort as it gave her, she couldn't keep the sharp pang of revulsion from burning the back of her tongue. She couldn't be this person.

She couldn't allow herself to need him this badly.

She couldn't allow another person to force her to need someone else this badly.

Still, she stayed where she was, curled tightly against his chest and letting the soft thrum of his heart lull her back to sleep because regardless of what she thought she wanted, she needed him right now.

* * *

Peter waited until she fell asleep before he slipped away and curled up into his makeshift bed. He couldn't fall asleep and as he laid there, staring at the ceiling, his frustration continued to build. He pulled his phone off the nightstand and tried to divert his attention with whatever stupid thing was on social media but it didn't help. Instead, he was left trying to distract himself with increasingly dumber videos.

Finally he gave up on that and pulled his notebook from under the bed where he had stashed it. He opened to some of the equations he had been working on and slowly tried to do calculations to take his mind off as much as he could.

It took nearly an hour, but he finally fell asleep on his notebook.

* * *

**Another chapter down - I hope you liked it!**

**So here's my author's note: The bit with Michelle's home life I pulled from a combination of places. I remember MJ's life from the first (Raimi Spider-Man) movie and when I looked up Michelle Jones, everything I could find said she also had a pretty bad home life but only that her dad wasn't in the picture anymore by Homecoming. I blended the two of them for the purposes of this story. I'm not sure how accurate it is because I couldn't find too much from Marvel so I'm hoping it was okay. I tried not to make it a huge thing but I kinda felt like to ignore even the little I could find wouldn't make sense for something like this. **

**Let me know what you think in the reviews!**

**I hope everyone has a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**-Lily**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone,**

**I don't have much of a note on this one except to say thank you to the amazing ****Ceggle143! You are so awesome! Thank you so much for always commenting, it's really cool to read them. And thanks for adding that bit about Michelle's background because that makes me feel better about the sources I found too. And I'm glad you're still enjoying the angst and Michelle's reactions. I hope you like this chapter as well!**

**Alright, that's it!**

**Like I said, not much to this note so, **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

About a month after the attack, Michelle was nearly back into her normal routine. She was still sore and had to be careful how she moved but for the most part, she was physically fine. Her headaches still flared so badly at times that she had to sit down but for the most part she was good. Back to normal.

Unfortunately, that normalcy ended at the physical injuries. Peter was still sleeping on the floor, still walking on eggshells around her and no matter what she did, she just couldn't get passed it. She couldn't figure it out. All she could do was hope that going back to work in the next week would help.

She kept trying to take it one day at a time.

So at the moment, she was attempting to make something for dinner.

It wasn't anything complicated, just grilled cheese and tomato soup but given her complete lack of culinary skills, it took her full attention. Plus their kitchen was small, which meant that someone did the cooking and the other cleaned up. Michelle had convinced Peter that she needed to be the one to cook.

Michelle focused on what she was making, obsessively checking the underside of the sandwiches in a way that probably didn't actually help with the cooking but made her feel better because at least they weren't burnt. Then a whiff of air slipped across her neck and her world ground to a halt. Her hand jerked involuntarily, a splash of hot butter landing squarely on the fleshy part of her hand between her thumb and pointer finger. In painful shock, she lurched back, hand still clamped around the handle. The motion was so awkward, the pan tipped off the stove and clattered across the ground as she let go. Her almost completed sandwiches bounced with a chorus of crunches. Michelle spun, looking directly into Peter's wide-eyed gaze. Without thinking about it, she spat, "What the _fuck_?"

Peter glanced between the furious look in Michelle's eyes to the splattered mess on the floor before looking back up at her sheepishly and whispering, "I'm sorry, I just needed to grab a drink."

Suddenly, all her festering wounds and his empathetic looks warped into a whirlwind and she screamed, "You can't do that, you can't sneak up on me like that!"

Peter held his hands up in front of him and insisted on his innocence, "I didn't! I thought you saw me! I just slid passed you, I didn't even touch you."

She growled in return, "It doesn't matter." Michelle felt herself getting significantly angrier than she rationally knew she should be but that thought was a whisper compared to the irrational storm twisting in her skull. Her eyes hardened and she snapped, "You could have just asked, I would have gotten it for you."

Peter winced and looked at her apologetically as he quietly explained, "I didn't want to make you stop what you were doing or make you do something I could do myself." Seeming to realize his mistake, he muttered, "I'm sorry." Then he bent over and started to pull the discarded pieces off the floor, his voice rising hopefully, "I can make them. It's okay, I can help with this."

There was that look again. There was that sympathy. Michelle watched him crouch down with a sneer on her face. Still, a quiet voice in the back of her mind told her that he was just being himself. Just being helpful. But it was quickly beaten into submission by her panicking anger. She kicked the pan away from him. It skid across the linoleum floor and as he looked up at her in shock, she snarled, "No." Then she gave into her anger completely, "You can't just fix everything, Peter! This is not something that you can shoot a web at or call your dad about. You can't fix this! I'm not some kitten up a goddamn tree you can just save and everything's alright again. It doesn't work that way! You can't fix this!" Then she nailed the sentiment down just a little more securely, "Stop fucking trying!"

"'m sorry, MJ…" Peter murmured, rising gracefully to his feet and taking a half a step away from her. Peter's mind was spinning as he tried to understand exactly what he needed to do but he was drawing a blank and that scared him.

Michelle clenched her fists at her side and continued to yell, "And stop telling me you're sorry! You have nothing to apologize for! Stop reminding me that I'm the crazy one!"

As soon as Peter processed that, confusion and fear blended into frustration and he finally lost his hold on his patience. Giving into the frustration he thundered back, "Then what do you want from me? What should I do?"

Michelle's face contorted in rage at his attitude and his question. It was just another gust of wind in the storm raging inside her skull. She could feel the lightning flashing behind her eyes, knew it was there because it felt like it was trying to burn her from the inside.

Peter's eyes went wide and he froze at the unnatural look on her face. He wasn't so far gone in his anger that it didn't affect him and he caught himself before he could go farther. Backpedalling, he lowered his voice into a plea, "Tell me, MJ, please tell me what to do because I can't keep guessing. I'm getting it wrong every time."

Michelle snapped her teeth closed and suddenly she just felt tired...and an immense amount of guilt. She knew what she had said was true, he hadn't done anything wrong. He just wanted to help but every time he said he was sorry or asked what he could do to make it better, it made her skin crawl.

That honest realization sent a horrifying shiver up her spine.

And now he was asking her to explain that and she wasn't sure how because she knew the minute she told him any of that, she would lose him. Probably not forever, he was too good of a person for that, but definitely when she needed him. That fear of losing him cut through some of her anger and she managed to get a hold on her volume, even if the vitriol didn't change, "I don't need you to do anything, Peter. I just need you to leave me alone."

Peter's face dropped and he quietly asked, "Is that really what you need?"

Before she had a chance to clamp down on her answer, her mouth betrayed her, "Yes. That's what I _need_."

Without another word, Peter stepped away from her, tiptoeing over the spilled grilled cheese and the flipped pan. He stepped into their bedroom and threw a book bag on the bed before he started pulling a few things out of the drawers.

Michelle watched him dumbfounded as he walked away from her and then continued to listen in shock as she heard him opening doors and throwing things rather haphazardly into what she assumed was a bag given the loud shuffle of fabric. As she stood alone, her anger bled away. When he was zipping the bag closed, she got over her paralysis and stepped toward their room, tentatively asking, "What are you doing?"

Peter wore his sorrow plainly before he shrugged and explained softly, "You told me you wanted me to leave you alone."

Michelle knew she had hurt him and she felt burning, sickening guilt slip up the back of her throat at the prospect. She didn't know what to say because the thought of not having him there was terrifying but there was another part of her that wondered that if he was gone, maybe he could get some sleep or actually rest.

Maybe she could have her nightmares and breakdown alone.

When she didn't say anything else, Peter finished zipping up his bag and threw it over his shoulder. He stepped up to where she as standing in the doorway and waited for her to move. The whole time he watched her, hoping that she would stop him. He took increasingly small, increasingly slow steps toward the door, but she still didn't say anything. He pulled the door open and stepped through but turned to look at her, "I'll be at the Tower if you need me. Just...promise me you'll call if you need anything?"

Michelle nodded stiltedly and then choked out, "Okay..." But she couldn't meet his eyes.

Peter frowned and started to reach out to her, to force her to meet his gaze. But he stopped himself. Instead he let his arm fall to his side and he whispered, "I still love you, MJ. Please don't forget that."

Michelle couldn't look at him. She bit her quivering lip and waited for him to turn away from her.

When he finally did, she flicked her gaze up long enough to watch him make it to the end of the hallway. Then she pulled the door shut behind her without a word.

* * *

"Whatcha doin', Morgan?" Tony asked as he dropped down onto the couch behind his youngest son, leaning forward as he watched the little boy scribble furiously on the page in front of him.

Morgan paused briefly, grey crayon hovering over the page as he turned to his dad and said with a smile, "Drawin' a picture for MJ to make her feel better."

Tony smiled as he leaned forward and kissed Morgan on the top of the head, before he glanced a little more fully over his son's shoulder and continued, "Oh, yah? Whatcha drawing?"

"The T-Rex from the museum…" Morgan paused as he switched colors before going back to his artwork.

Tony relaxed back into the couch and whispered, "She's gonna love that, buddy." He threw his arm over his eyes and just let himself sit for a few minutes. His mind still twisted a thousand miles a second but at least his body was still for what felt like the first time in weeks.

Unfortunately, even that relaxation didn't last long before it was interrupted by FRIDAY's brogue, "Boss, Peter just entered the Tower."

Tony scrunched his face a bit as he tried to figure out why Peter would be at the Tower on a Sunday when he had been explicitly ordered to stay away from the office until Michelle was cleared. Realizing, he could solve that mystery easily, Tony stepped into the bedroom, away from the ever curious Morgan, and ordered, "Call Peter."

It took a moment for the call to connect but when it did, Tony didn't wait for a greeting, he simply asked, "Are you at the Tower?"

Peter sighed audibly before he mumbled, "Yah."

Tony waited for more of an explanation but when Peter didn't offer one in a reasonable amount of time, Tony carefully asked, "Why?..."

Peter had a hard time controlling the wavering sorrow in his voice when he answered, "MJ said she needed me to leave her alone."

"Oh," Tony breathed out. He paused for a second, pressing his fingers into his eyes and suppressing his involuntary need to know what was wrong. Once his curiosity was sufficiently contained, he continued, "Do you want some company?" Peter didn't respond right away, so Tony decided he lost the right to make a decision and instead answered his own question, "I'll get there as soon as I can."

Peter only kind of hid the relief in his voice when he intoned, "Dad, you don't have to…"

Tony heard the lack of conviction behind the refusal and smirked inappropriately before he disregarded it, "I've got nothing better to do right now."

"Thanks." Peter whispered, only barely hiding the sniffles from the microphone.

* * *

When Tony finally got there, Peter was sitting in the dark on the cot in their lab. His bag was on the floor at his feet and his head was in his hands. Suddenly, Tony wished there was more here. The Tower wasn't nearly as well furnished anymore because it had become the center for business and research in the City. It's where they worked during the week so there were a few cots for them to sleep on if they spent too long in the lab and there was a skeletally functioning medbay just in case someone had a major mishap, but it was mostly business. That meant Peter had been sitting in a cold, sterile lab for the last forty minutes.

Without another thought, Tony sat next to him and threw his arm around Peter's shoulders. He needed to prove he was there. So he did and he relied on Peter to start the conversation.

Eventually, Peter spoke. His voice was rough and tired, heavy with unshed tears, "It's been like this every day for a month." He rubbed the back of his hand under his nose, wiping away the mucus that was making his voice sound deeper than what it was. He sniffed a few times before he continued, "I just don't know what to do to help her anymore. I've tried everything, I've given her space and been there every time she needs me but even that is wrong. Nothing is helping." He looked up at Tony with red-rimmed eyes, "I'm out of ideas, dad."

Tony rubbed his hand up and down Peter's arm a few times before he whispered, "I'm sorry, Pete." He knew what Peter was asking but he couldn't provide the solution.

"What do I do?" Peter begged, needing his dad to have more answers than he did.

Tony sighed before he admitted, "I don't think you can do anything more than what you're doing. She needs to deal with this." He pulled away slightly and took in the despondency on Peter's face. Tony realized he needed some kind of suggestion and he swallowed hard before blurting out the first thing that came to mind, "She could talk to someone. I could set something up."

Peter was already shaking his head before Tony finished his statement and then mumbled, "She doesn't want to…she just keeps saying that nothing happened and she'll deal with it." Peter tipped his head up to look at Tony before he whispered, "I tried that already."

Tony hiked his shoulders up in an aborted shrug as he tried to come up with something else. Anything else. Eventually he had to let them drop as he admitted, "Then…there's not much more that you can do. You're not trained to help her deal with this and she needs someone who is."

Peter felt the tears start to fall as Tony confirmed what he already knew. And he mumbled, "Yah I know that…but I have to do something."

Tony could only repeat himself as he responded, "I don't know if there's much you can do Pete, I think you just have to keep being patient. And get her to go." Tony pressed a frustrated kiss to his son's head. He didn't have any answers and his inability to help was gnawing at him. In a sad consolation, Tony wrapped his arms more fully around Peter and tried to hide him from the world, from everything that was happening to him because he didn't deserve it. Michelle didn't deserve it.

Peter listened to what Tony was saying and the truth of that sank in. He lost the thin veil of composure he had been able to keep for this long and he broke down. He sobbed into Tony's chest. It had been a long time since he had felt this frustrated and lost and he couldn't deal with it any more. So he didn't. He knew he could lean on Tony for a least a little while.

Peter eventually cried himself to sleep against his dad.

Only once he was sure Peter was asleep did Tony let a few of his own tears escape. It was hard watching this happen and he wanted nothing more than to fix it. Unfortunately, he could only do so much. So he did the only thing he could do, something Tony hadn't done since Peter was much younger. He held his son against his chest the best he could before he pulled them both back against the wall and slid under the covers. Peter didn't wake up and Tony was able to get him shifted enough to hold him while he slept.

Tony sighed as he let his head fall back against the wall. Why couldn't everything just be simple? Or maybe just a little easier? After only a few minutes of quiet contemplation, Tony gave up on those philosophical questions. And he decided on a more immediate problem with a much simpler solution. He needed to make sure Peter stayed asleep. That he could handle right now. Tony slipped his hand in Peter's hair, pulling at the soft locks and relishing the incremental relaxation he could feel as Peter fell deeper into sleep.

Eventually, that same motion put Tony to sleep too.

* * *

**I hope you have a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**\- Lily**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey everyone, **

**So I actually wrote this in conjunction with the chapter I posted on Friday so it didn't take long for me to finish it and so I figured I would go ahead a post it to end my weekend :)**

**I do want to make sure to say thank you to the wonderful Ceggle143, I'm only kind of sorry that the last chapter was heartbreaking. That was definitely what I was going for though so I'm also glad it worked. I also really appreciate that its still catching your attention and making you want to read more, so...I hope you enjoy this chapter too!**

**That's all I have for now other than to say SPIDER-MAN IS BACK IN THE MCU and I'm so FREAKING EXCITED! I honestly didn't believe it at first and then I read a bunch of stuff and now I'm super pumped!**

**Alright, that's it for the all caps so...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

As the door latched, it was with an odd sense of finality.

Michelle could feel the tears building in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. Refused to be any more tragic than she already was, so she bit down harder on her lip and forced herself to calm down. Once she felt like she had it under control, Michelle took a deep breath, relishing the twinge it caused in her chest because it was _something_. And as she opened her eyes she took in the quiet apartment, realizing that she finally had some space to breathe. It made her feel incredibly selfish and then she pictured Peter's face. The guilt rose, unstoppable, in her mind.

The cascade of emotions froze her feet and she stood stock still for a long moment. The hallway was a boring cream color that was more relaxing than it was enjoyable and the minimal things they had on the walls were mostly decorative schematic drawings blended with travel images. It only kept her attention for a short time.

She finally thawed, and her freedom become a cage.

Her world was suffocating. In a few precious heartbeats, the comfort of the room shifted and as she looked around their silent apartment, it became both overwhelmingly huge and stiflingly small. Without realizing it, Michelle had stepped forward into the center of the intersecting hallway that lead to all the rooms. As she looked around, wondering how she got there, she realized she didn't know what to do with herself. She stared listlessly between the rooms, her eyes eventually settling on the frying pan still on the floor, the sandwiches still slowly cooling. Michelle had been hungry before but now she couldn't summon the energy and instead, she turned away, heading to the bedroom.

But before she could make it, someone next door, or above them, or below them, dropped something heavy, and the sound echoed through their apartment. Without warning, Michelle's breathing sped up and her heart rate increased as she tried to find the location of the sound. When she couldn't immediately locate it, she leapt into their bedroom, slammed the door shut, and climbed under the covers. She pulled the blankets tightly over her head as she tried desperately to calm her racing heart.

It felt like it took a lifetime.

She hated it.

That was compounded by a weak voice in her mind that jabbed at her, _If Peter had been here, he would have helped. You wouldn't have to hide under the covers like a frightened child. _She audibly scoffed at the truth in that, Peter would've held her until she felt comfortable enough in their small world to venture out from his protection.

And even if she had hated every second of it, it would have happened. And it would have helped.

But he wasn't there because she had told him she needed him to leave.

Then that thin traitorous voice was back. It was a little different this time, a little more judgmental and scornful, _You are pathetic, you honestly need another person to protect you from a sound?_

Michelle buried her head into her pillow, trying to quiet that voice. She somehow beat it back, reminding herself that she could deal with her situation. The voice quieted, lapsing into silence.

Michelle stayed curled tightly in the blankets for a long time. It gave her a chance to find her footing and ease back into comfortable as the silence in the room reinforced the success of her hiding place.

It was only in the silence of her cocoon that she admitted that maybe she should ask Peter to come back. That she could handle him being there without freaking out.

She wasn't dense enough to ignore the fact that she needed him there.

And the longer Michelle ruminated on that idea, the more enticing it became and the more comfortable she felt with it. She took time to talk herself into it and realized that she could, in fact, handle it. Feeling a confidence she hadn't felt in a while, she crept out of her tent and grabbed her phone. Crawling back into her shelter, she flicked her phone on and pulled up the recent calls. Her finger hovered over Peter's name as that mocking voice returned, _So you do need someone else to deal with your own shit? _

Michelle snarled at her phone as she realized how stupid it was to call Peter. It wasn't confidence she was feeling, it was fear masquerading as conviction.

She angrily shut off the screen and dropped it to her side. Only for the picture of them at the zoo to illuminate on the background. She was standing next to Peter, who was holding his brother on his hip while she took the picture. All three of them were smiling and Michelle in a moment of honest hopelessness wondered if she would ever feel that way again. And then her anger flared up and she shoved the phone off the bed.

Nothing had happened to her.

That man hadn't done _anything_ to her.

Then the perpetual hate that had been building up in her chest twisted just a little tighter and she realized that the loathing she was carrying around wasn't all directed at the man who had done this, a good chunk of it was directed at herself.

_She_ was weak.

_She_ was destroying her world.

All because some dick had attacked her.

Hadn't succeeded, by the way, just had tried.

And she was acting like the one good man in her life was going to do the same.

God, she was pathetic.

That sent her spiraling again. That brief buoy of hard-won confidence evaporated and she mentally tore into herself.

The brutal berating lasted a few hours until she passed out from exhaustion. Unfortunately, her last thought was that she was going crazy. That she was losing her mind and that maybe it would be better if she actually did push Peter away. She passed out debating the merits of talking to someone versus striking out on her own.

* * *

When she woke up the next morning, it was to a cold bed and a phone vibrating aggressively against the floor. She groggily twisted in the sheets, flinching away from the cool fabric when it touched her bare feet, and then buried her head back into the pillow. Michelle didn't want to move, so she didn't. She stayed in her material cocoon.

She heard the phone vibrating again but she assumed it was Peter so she ignored about it. The thought flitted through her mind that she wasn't sure if she was worth the effort he was putting in. But that thought didn't last long as the obnoxious phone rang twice more before it finally, blessedly stopped. After a long pause, she heard it vibrate once, informing her there was a message waiting. But it also signaled the end of the annoyance so instead, she curled back up into the blankets and forgot about it.

It was a few hours later when her stomach finally started to voice its annoyance and she realized she hadn't eaten anything since lunch the previous day. Finally summoning the strength to pull her exhausted body out of bed, she wandered indifferently into the kitchen and rummaged around the cupboards for a while until she found something to eat. Protein bar secured, she slipped back into bed and pulled the covers over her head as she ate her food without actually tasting it.

* * *

When Peter came home later that day, Michelle was sitting in the living room, a book forgotten in her lap as she stared at the wall across from her. When the door opened, her gaze snapped to the sound. Peter stepped inside, bag loosely hung on his shoulder and a blank look on his face. Still, Michelle couldn't help the relief that shot through her, even if she wasn't sure how to show it. Her voice was flatter, less grateful than she wanted, when she asked, "Are you home, home?"

Peter's lips quirked but the ghost of a smile didn't come close to reaching his eyes when he answered, "If you want me to be."

Michelle nodded a few times, the enthusiasm building when she realized she hadn't completely ruined everything. Recognizing, she needed to offer him some kind of acknowledgment for her stupidity, she said, "I'm sorry...for how I acted."

Peter stepped inside and closed the door. He hiked his bag up higher on his shoulder before he traveled the long hallway to the living room. His gaze was on the floor but he flicked almost sneaking looks up at Michelle before he knelt down in front of the couch. He was painfully aware that he needed to avoid sitting too close or leaning on the couch but he still looked her in the eyes and answered with conviction, "You have nothing to apologize for, MJ. I think I knew I shouldn't have done that, I knew I could have scared you and I did it anyway. I'm so sorry for that."

Michelle held his gaze but her tongue twisted in knots she had no hope of untying.

Peter watched her for a moment, his eyes darting over her face, taking in the still healing cuts and bruises and realizing how much of a dick he had been. He frowned, his voice dropping as he continued, "I'm sorry I'm acting like you should be passed this already, that's not fair to you. At all. I'm here to help you, which means I shouldn't be pushing you. It was selfish and stupid and I'm sorry." He watched her gaze soften and he saw the light he remembered in her eyes flicker ever so slightly so he continued, emboldened, "Can I ask you something?"

Michelle nodded, unwilling to deny him anything.

Peter stared hard at her for a moment before he asked, "Could you think about talking to someone about this? It doesn't have to be anytime soon but I think it would help." He paused for a moment as he looked hopefully at her and added, "It helped me."

Michelle felt the immediate rejection of that suggestion and she almost let it boil over but with a strength she hadn't felt in a long time, she swallowed it back and choked out a whispered, "I'll think about it."

Peter smiled brightly at her lukewarm acceptance.

Michelle almost thought about agreeing just to keep that smile on his face. It had been so long since she had seen it that she felt uplifted at the sight. Still, there was a part of her that knew she wasn't ready to do what he wanted and she had the presence of mind to bite down on her tongue. Then he rocked forward on his heels and, without meaning to, she withdrew. Almost as quickly as it had appeared, his smile faltered and Michelle felt herself slip just a little farther away again.

Peter wanted more than anything to just hug her and unintentionally he leaned toward her. She flinched. Immediately, Peter realized what he had done and stood abruptly, shouldering his book bag and finding an interesting point on the floor next to him. His voice was soft when he whispered, "I'm gonna go put this stuff away and take a shower."

Michelle hated that she had recoiled and as soon as he said he was going away, she instinctually reached out and wrapped her hand around his wrist. Then that old familiar feeling of guilt crept back up when he flinched in return. But she refused to let go. Looking up at him, she whispered, "Thank you…" And for the second time since this had happened, she felt tears well in her eyes as she continued, "For understanding, for trying…for doing everything you're doing. I know I'm not making it easy but I couldn't imagine handling this at all if you weren't here."

Peter gave her a sad smile and returned, "You could handle it on your own." But then he added, "I'm always here though, Michelle."

That somehow made her feel worse.

In that moment, Michelle felt like she had trapped him, like she was an onerous burden that was slowly breaking him down and for as much as she knew he would deny that, a large part of her screamed that was the truth. Realizing exactly what she had become, she pulled her hand away like she had been burned. She watched as his sad smile twisted into a frown before he turned away and headed into the bathroom. Michelle waited until the door closed behind him before she whipped her book at the wall. In frustration, she curled her knees into her chest and dug her nails into her arms.

Peter fell back against the door and slid down the worn wood. Without meaning too, he sighed heavily and curled up as tightly as he could, laying his head in his arms and trying to control the hot tears he could feel building in the back of his eyes. He needed to get a handle on this because he realized how much of a problem he was becoming, he absolutely could not be a part of her stress. He needed to deal with his shit because that was the only way he was going to be able to help her and do what she needed him to do.

He let himself stay curled up for a few more minutes before he sighed and stood. Squaring his shoulders, he resolved to do what he needed to do to make sure she was alright. Then he jumped in the shower.

As the hot water hit his shoulders, he realized he could do this.

But more importantly, he _knew_ she could do this.

* * *

**Alright, we're finally getting to the point where Michelle can start moving passed this! It's just going to take once last thing to get her there. For those of you who are still reading, I hope you enjoyed it!**

**And also I feel like I should apologize if that was a little too much, text-wise for the weekend but I still hope you enjoyed it anyway!**

**I hope you all have a wonderful evening/day and stay creative!**

**-Lily**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everyone,**

**I just want to say thank you to ****Ceggle143! I'm glad that there's no such thing as too much text :) And yah I couldn't let Peter stay away for too long, it just wouldn't make sense for his character. I'm glad you liked the chapter and I hope you enjoy this one too. Also thank you so much for consistently commenting, it's always really nice to read and I really appreciate it!**

**That's it for now so, **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Michelle?" Fry asked as she stepped into the room, her eyes on the tablet in front of her as she checked over her notes. When she looked up, she immediately read the anticipation in Michelle's eyes. Fry understood the frustration of inactivity and she gave a small half-smile before she continued, "You're good to go back to work."

Michelle's nerves evaporated and a smile broke across her face. That was what she had been hoping for and she couldn't hide her relief. Her gratitude was palpable when she hurriedly answered, "Thank you, Dr. Fry." She dropped her eyes to the floor for a few moments, her smile widening, as her new reality ran through her mind. For a moment, the elation allowed for calm and then slowly the realization of everything she had missed became slightly overwhelming.

"Do you have any questions about anything going forward?" Fry looked up expectantly, her eyes moving confidently between Michelle and Peter, who was sitting silently next to her. Peter shook his head but didn't say anything, instead looking up at Michelle.

Michelle missed the specifics of the question but easily read the expression on Fry's face after Peter nudged her knee. She quickly replied, "No, I'm good."

Fry nodded before she tipped her head sideways and added, "You'll still probably want to keep the pain relievers with you for a few days but other than that, you'll be fine."

Michelle was listening that time and nodded along, almost unconsciously repeating, "Thank you."

Fry nodded and when neither asked anything else, she said, "If you need anything, you know where to find me." Without another word, she left.

When the door closed, Michelle looked over at Peter and her smile faltered slightly. They still had been fighting off and on since he had come back from the Tower and, recognizing the relief in his eyes, Michelle lost some of the edge to her elation. She knew his happiness wasn't all because she was cleared. Nor should it be.

Peter was excited by the news. He knew Michelle had been beyond ready to get back to work and a part of him couldn't help but wonder if the interruption in their ordinary was what led to so much tension between them. Still, he couldn't voice that concern and instead, went with something a little more innocuous, "That's good news." Peter clasped his hands in his lap as he twisted his fingers nervously.

At that assessment, Michelle smirked, not ready to give up the positivity, "Yah it is." The relief in her voice was almost more obvious than his nervousness when she kept going, "I'm ready to go back. I don't want to sit in our apartment anymore."

"I know." Peter smirked sadly, then he added awkwardly, "I'm ready to get back to work too."

Michelle turned up her nose but she didn't comment, choosing to ignore the statement and move on. She slipped off the examination table and grabbed her jacket as she headed for the door. Peter followed.

* * *

They were mostly quiet on the walk back to their apartment but a few blocks away, Peter realized how hungry he was. He sheepishly looked over at Michelle and asked, "Do you want to get something to eat?"

Michelle's gaze snapped over at the sudden question. She had been so focused on trying to figure out what she would need to do to get back into the swing of things that she had almost forgotten Peter was next to her. Michelle had been trying to remember her calendar, wondering if the project she had been working on before…was finished. If it wasn't, she might still be able to jump back in. She didn't quite catch what he said but it sounded like an affirmative question so she went with her gut and answered distractedly, "Umm…sure…"

"Okay…" Peter said expectantly. When she finally looked at him blankly, Peter prodded, "What sounds good?"

Dinner. He was hungry. That made sense. Michelle was only just realizing how late it was. She wasn't hungry, but she was focused on her own thoughts so she flicked her hand and hastily replied, "I don't care, just pick something."

Peter was a little taken aback by her tone, but still vocalized, "Oh…okay…"

They fell quiet again as he directed them to an Italian place that he knew she liked. She walked beside him but didn't say anything else, even as her eyes darted across the streets around them. Once they sat down and ordered, Michelle relaxed. Her shoulders fell from where they had been hiked around her ears and she unconsciously focused more easily on Peter. After they got their dinner, Michelle finally looked up and let him into her thoughts with a soft smile, "I'll be back in time for the conference on climate change."

"Isn't that what you were working on before?" Peter asked, thankful for the direct conversation but still hesitant to ask something that might upset her.

Michelle winced slightly at the time distinction but pushed back her reaction and nodded instead. She let the excitement build in her voice when she responded, "I think I could probably get caught back up soon enough to be in the room."

"That's awesome, MJ." Peter could hear the positivity in her voice, saw the spark in her eyes again. And he felt himself relax a little bit more as he asked her about the project, giving her a chance to focus on something different.

As they ate, their conversation fell into a more natural cadence.

* * *

The news about work had lifted her spirits significantly. She and Peter had a much better few days and she felt more grounded than she had in a while. Now she was taking the familiar path to work. Peter had offered to go with her but she had refused, she had never needed him to travel with her before and she surely did not need it now.

Michelle had been so confident when she had left their apartment but as she got off of the train, the city slowly became more oppressive. As she walked, her eyes darted rapidly, scanning the normally faceless crowds just in case there was a lurking eye or harmful gaze. No one paid attention to her though.

Michelle slowly relaxed and let the rhythm of the street lull her back into comfort.

She nearly made it to her office. She was two blocks away when she flicked her eyes up toward the walk symbol and they landed on a silhouette she was sure she recognized. She froze and as the white walk symbol turned red, Michelle strained to figure out why she knew that person. Then the object of her scrutiny turned toward her. Her eyes went wide in shock.

He was standing in front of the coffee shop she sometimes stopped at before work, talking to someone.

Michelle missed another chance to walk as her mind spun.

He wasn't supposed to be there. Peter had stopped him and he had been arrested. She had given her statement, had told them what he had done. He should be in jail.

She caught herself and shook her head – of course he was in jail. Michelle scolded herself, mentally pointing out that she was two blocks away, there was no way she would be able to see anyone clearly from two blocks away. It wasn't him.

The white walk symbol flashed again and Michelle forced herself to take a stilted step forward.

Then another.

But when she made it nearly to the end of the two blocks and looked across the street, her fear flared again.

He was standing across from her.

Michelle froze, her eyes fixed on the man standing across the thundering street. Then he looked in her direction and her stomach dropped. Her heart thrummed painfully in her chest when she locked eyes with him for a brief moment before she looked away. She couldn't forget those predatory, horrific eyes.

It was him.

Michelle panicked and ducked into the first open door she saw as she fumbled with her phone. She growled as she struggled to remember her passcode. And then it finally clicked and the screen opened, promising help. For a moment, her finger hovered over Peter's name, but something held her back. She couldn't call him. He had just gone back to work and she knew that it was easy for him to do pretty much whatever he wanted because of Tony but she couldn't ask him to take advantage of that relationship. No matter how desperately she wanted to right now.

Instead she scrolled passed a few more names. Once she found it, Michelle pressed against the contact with an unnecessary force but at the same time, it kept her from second guessing her decision. As she waited for the connection, Michelle pressed back into the store and her eyes darted to the door.

"MJ?" The curious voice came over the phone speaker.

Michelle swallowed hard before she responded, "Nat…I'm really sorry to bother you but…"

Michelle didn't finish her statement before Natasha's hurried, worried voice cut her off, "What do you need?"

Michelle could feel the anger welling up in her chest, she realized her weakness but she was still a bit too afraid to stop and she stuttered, "Can you…uhh…can you come get me?"

"Yah of course…" There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before the now dangerously protective voice came back, "I'll be there in twenty minutes. Are you safe?"

"Yah, I am." Michelle had to bite back frustrated tears as she tried to hide from the curious faces around her. She couldn't help the part of her mind that whispered, _God you're pathetic_.

"Good." Came back Natasha's sharp reply before she followed with, "You're good with a bike, right?"

"Yah…" Michelle whispered as she pressed her now shaking hand to her forehead and tried to disappear into the rack of souvenir postcards behind her.

* * *

Natasha stopped the motorcycle in front of her apartment building. She turned, unsure of what exactly Michelle needed. But when the younger woman slid off without a word and started toward the stairs, Natasha followed.

Once they were safely ensconced in the apartment, Michelle sat down heavily on the couch and Natasha sat on the coffee table opposite her.

Natasha watched Michelle carefully, eyes narrowed as the younger woman buried her face in her hands. After a few moments, Natasha carefully pushed, "What happened?"

Michelle took as deep a breath as she could before she coughed her voice back to normal and answered in as composed a tone as she could muster, "I saw him on the corner. He was standing in front of the coffee shop outside the UN." Unfortunately, her confidence collapsed and she added in a whisper, "I don't…I didn't know what to do." Then her eyes widened as what she had done completely sank in. Her gaze snapped to Natasha and she quickly spat, "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry. I don't know why I called you. I'm sure you were in the middle of something important." She pressed her hand to her mouth and spoke through her fingers, "Oh my god, I'm sorry."

Natasha scooted closer to the edge of the table and asked, "Why are you sorry? What could I have possibly been doing that was more important than making sure you're okay?"

"Saving the world…" Michelle trailed off.

Natasha shrugged and brushed it off in the way that only a superspy could, with sheer conviction and nonchalance, "Not even close to what I was doing. Plus, the world's been pretty quiet for a while and honestly, you're one of ours. We don't leave each other without backup so you have nothing to apologize for." Natasha continued to stare, willing Michelle to explain whatever was going on in her brilliant head.

Michelle watched Natasha and for as badly as she wanted to break their impromptu staring contest she was too frightened and too entranced to do so. Then she realized that she did actually want to talk to Natasha. Frustration finally forced her to act and Michelle went for broke. She was done trying to deal with it on her own because obviously it wasn't working. Plus, she had promised Peter she would talk to someone. Swallowing the thin shred of pride she had left, Michelle mumbled as she let go of it, "I hate being afraid..." When Natasha didn't immediately jump up and leave, Michelle felt a little more confident and continued with a little more volume, "I hate it so much. I feel like I can't figure out who I am anymore and the harder I try, the farther away I get." She paused and dropped her attention to the floor before she murmured, "I don't know why you're here. I honestly don't. I'm making Peter miserable…I...I don't deserve your help."

Natasha fixed Michelle with a hard look before she interrupted, "You do deserve my help, whatever it is, and you're not dragging Peter down. He's not miserable, he's worried. Trust me, there's a difference."

Michelle swallowed hard passed the guilty lump in her throat before she continued in a whine, "I am though. I can't let him touch me without freaking out." Then that sadness morphed into anger, "I'm not even talking about anything intimate. Not too long ago, I almost stepped into traffic because I wasn't paying attention and he grabbed my wrist to stop me. I freaked out. I yelled at him, hit him. He didn't do anything wrong. And even when I did that, he still didn't stop me. He let me rage. Then he walked home with me." She buried her face into her hands and murmured, "My god, like a week ago I chased him out of our apartment – our apartment, not mine, ours – and he just left…because I said I thought it would help."

Michelle looked up at Natasha and whispered, "What's wrong with me?" But before Natasha could answer, Michelle kept pressing, "I can't…sometimes when he touches me, my heart starts to race and my palms start to sweat and I have to leave the room. It hurts him every him and he still stays. I can't…I can't handle it." She snapped her hands down into her lap and looked up at Natasha with fire in her eyes, "And then, other times I feel like I'm going to fall apart if he doesn't hold me together. I know it's confusing for him and that he's nervous around me but I don't know what to do to end it. I have no idea what's happening to me." Then her voice rose into a near scream, her volume rising with each word, "Nothing even happened! He just knocked me around a bit!"

Natasha listened impartially as Michelle raged. When Michelle finally stopped yelling and fixed her with a fiery gaze, Natasha took a deep breath and ordered harshly, "Don't pretend that what he did was anything less than what it was." She lowered her voice, "He didn't just knock you around Michelle, he used you for a punching bag. He took the control away from you after you fought as hard as you could to keep it." Natasha leaned forward, grabbed ahold of Michelle's hands, and said with complete honesty, "He tried to rape you, Michelle. That's it. That's what happened. That is the worst singular loss of control anyone can suffer. It doesn't matter that he didn't finish. It matters that he tried and he had absolutely no right to."

Michelle's gaze was fixed on Natasha's, but she couldn't say anything.

Natasha's narrowed eyes widened incrementally and she whispered, "Have you said it? Have you actually said what he tried to do to you?"

Michelle was shocked by that question and took a second to relive what she could remember from the last month and a half. Finally, she shook her head uncertainly and looked up at Natasha with wide eyes before she whispered, "No." She felt compelled to elaborate, "Every time it came up, someone asked so I said yes…"

"Say it." Natasha ordered gently, "Tell me what he tried to do."

Michelle's rage immediately spun to the surface, rejecting the idea of giving reality any power. But her trust in Natasha and her desperation to find some solution outweighed what she quickly realized was extreme anxiety and embarrassment.

That hit her hard.

She rarely felt embarrassed but sitting in front of a woman who would never let something like this happen to her, Michelle realized how embarrassed she was that he had even come close. Her embarrassment made her angry and gave her something to fight against. She needed to own this. To beat this. Her response was more subdued that she wanted but nevertheless she started hesitantly, "He…he…uhh…tried...to rape me." The word burned her tongue and made her want to bite down hard but as soon as it left her mouth, she felt lighter and she continued with more conviction, "He hit me, he chased me, tore my clothes and then he held me down and tried to rape me. He would have if Peter hadn't stopped him." As if the simple act of voicing the obvious truth dislodged something in her chest, Michelle felt tears start to roll down her cheeks. She pulled her hands free and tucked them close to her chest as she tried to control her sudden tears.

Without hesitation, Natasha reached out and tugged Michelle's hands away from her chest.

Michelle's tears choked to a stop as her shocked eyes snapped to Natasha's.

Natasha looked at her hard and demanded, "His name, Michelle. What's. His. Name?"

Michelle swallowed hard before she squeaked out, "Luke...his name was Luke."

Natasha gave her a sad smile before she whispered, "Good." As if she had given permission, Natasha watched the dam burst. Michelle curled her hands in tight again before she tucked her knees into her chest. After only a few moments, Natasha sat down on the couch next to her and wrapped her arm around Michelle's shoulders. The hardened spy fought to keep her own tears back. Those wouldn't help right now.

Michelle allowed herself to relax against Natasha as she cried. She didn't uncurl but she appreciated the support. It took nearly an hour but her tears choked to a stop and she managed to whisper, "I really hate crying." Michelle pressed her hands into her eyes and tried desperately to dam up at least some of the tears.

Natasha smirked and retorted, "I know the feeling." Still, she couldn't let the sentiment fall to sarcasm so she whispered, "It's okay to cry, MJ and it's okay to admit what he...Luke...did. It makes it possible to deal with it. Just let it out, okay?"

Michelle sniffled and pushed away from Natasha, her anger welling back up as she tried to understand what was supposed to be so upsetting that it had turned her life upside-down. Michelle snapped, "Why am I so upset about this? _Nothing. Happened_."

Natasha shook her head, her own anger at the situation flared to life before she swallowed it back and explained, "Something _did happen_, Michelle. That's why you're upset. Something traumatic happened. _This_ is the response to that. It happens, especially to someone who is so used to being in control." Natasha watched carefully as Michelle sat back down, pulling her knees into her chest and trying to control her outburst. When the younger woman was settled, Natasha turned fully toward her and continued, even while Michelle diverted her eyes, "More than anything, Luke showed you what it looks like when you have no power. That's a hard place to be in and one that can wreak no end of havoc on _you_." Natasha forced Michelle to look at her and persisted, "This will continue until you figure out how to take that control back." The last part was said with a distinct snarl as Natasha allowed ghosts of her own painful past to flare at the wrongness of this situation.

"How do you know that?" Michelle whispered almost inaudibly, the anger melting away.

Natasha lifted her chin as the cutting question hit close to home and she allowed a few tears to fall as she explained, "Because that's what Clint showed me. That's what the Avengers showed me. Before them, I was angry, viciously angry because I thought I was in control of everything and everyone I ever came across. I unconsciously knew I wasn't but that didn't stop me from pretending. And it wasn't until I escaped…started making my own decisions that I saw I had an illusion of control created by people who manipulated and used me. It wasn't until I escaped that I realized how little power I actually had. I always knew but seeing it was…jarring. It was a hard lesson and it hurt like a bitch to come to terms with. But I did and I'm better because of it."

Michelle couldn't drop Natasha's gaze but still asked disbelievingly, "How is that the same? They used you…"

Natasha flicked her hand up aggressively, cutting Michelle off before she firmly asserted, "And he tried to use you. You escaped it faster than I did but it still happened."

Michelle snapped her teeth shut at Natasha's tone. For the first time since Peter had saved her, her mind flashed back to what she had done to protect herself. In a sudden, necessary epiphany, Michelle realized she was still there, still trying to protect herself, still stuck. Still waiting for the attack and simply telling herself that she had escaped. She was afraid because she was still there.

Natasha steadily held her gaze until eventually, Michelle returned to the present and asked, "How do I get back to normal?"

Natasha refused to drop her gaze and answered honestly, "You will never be back to normal, MJ, you know that. Don't phrase the question that way."

Tears sprung back into Michelle's eyes when she heard the truth and she asked instead, "What do I do then?"

Natasha thought for a moment. She refused to break the eye contact but she still needed to collect her thoughts. Eventually, she came up with what she thought was the best answer, her voice was even when she said, "You need to accept that it's a wound. That's the only way you can let it heal. And it will heal. It'll take time and it'll be a nasty scar for a while but it will heal."

Michelle nodded and tried to accept what she was saying, it was hard but it made sense. Only once she had reconciled that, did she break Natasha's gaze. She thought about what she had said for a few minutes before she looked back up at Natasha and asked, "What about Peter? What do I do about us?"

Natasha sighed and brushed a strand of stray hair out of Michelle face before she frowned sadly at her, "I can't tell you what to do about Peter but I can promise you there is nothing he wouldn't do for you. You need to figure out what you need to prove to yourself that he's not going to hurt you."

* * *

**That's all I have for right now!**

**Author's Note: So I wanted to pull Natasha into this because I kinda really love the idea of Natasha and MJ being friends. And I think that Natasha would be the only one close enough to MJ to be able to relate to an attack like this on every level, which would have been something that I feel like MJ would have needed. Obviously the Red Room was not the same thing since it was systematic but there is a distinct form of trauma that comes from any significant violation and so I felt like Natasha was the best choice to get through to MJ. Hopefully you felt like it worked too :)**

**I hope you have a wonderful day/night and stay creative!**

**-Lily**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey everyone,**

**Thank you for all my lovely readers who are sticking with the story, I really appreciate it.**

**And a special shout out to**** the lovely Ceggle143 - I totally get that so thank you :) I think that's canon too but I was having trouble finding that directly and I never read Black Widow comics so I wasn't totally sure. I definitely think she would be the one to help though, it would be a unique perspective that I feel like MJ would appreciate. Thank you again for your input and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**That's all I have for now, **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Peter's ears pricked up the closer he got to their apartment. Something about one of the surrounding conversations had caught his attention through the normal din. It took him a few more steps before he realized why, it was coming from his apartment.

Peter started to run.

The closer he got to the door, the more distinctive the voices became and he slowed to a fast walk when he realized that Michelle was talking to…Natasha? That made him paradoxically nervous and put him at ease. As he finally made it to their door, Peter fumbled with his keys before getting to the right one and practically throwing the door open. As he stumbled inside, he tried to cover his panic but his eyes betrayed him when his widened gaze met the amused eyes of Natasha and Michelle. Peter took a few hurried steps forward before he stuttered, "Nat? What are…uh…what're you doing here?"

Natasha stood gracefully and laid her hand gently on Michelle's shoulder. The older woman glanced down and held Michelle's gaze for a long moment before she gave her a soft smile and stepped away. As she moved passed Peter, she laid her hand on his arm, leaned close, and whispered, "You two have a lot to talk about."

Then she left.

Peter only shook himself out of his confusion when he heard the door snap shut behind her.

Jarred back into motion, Peter hurried over to where Michelle was sitting and crouched in front of her, his hands carefully stowed in his lap. Nerves building, Peter immediately started talking, fear increasingly permeated his tone, "What's going on? Why was Nat here? Are you okay?" He leaned forward a bit as he looked her over like he was trying to find some new injury or thing to worry about.

Michelle knew the complex concerns of his expression and, feeling a confidence she hadn't in a while, she reached forward and snatched his hands from his lap. She couldn't help but smile softly when he jumped. It was hard to surprise him and she had always taken pride in doing that so her ability to still startle him buoyed her spirits. Only then did she nod a few times before she quietly explained, "I saw him...Luke...today when I was heading to work. I freaked out and I...called Nat to come pick me up. But I promise, I'm fine, Peter."

Peter scrunched his nose a bit as he tilted his head and confusedly asked, "You...saw him? How?"

Michelle held his gaze, her tone suddenly hard and a little defensive, "I don't know but it was him."

Peter snarled and unconsciously glanced around their apartment like he was looking from her attacker or trying to gather his sudden burst of rage into something manageable. After a moment, he turned back to her and asked with simmering anger, "Are you okay?"

Michelle looked at him pensively for a moment before she responded, "I'm...better. Talking to Nat helped me get some things into perspective." She took a deep breath and when she saw Peter open his mouth to say something, she rushed to fill the space, "But I need to talk to you."

Peter pressed back his anger, burying it as deeply as he could, and gave her his full attention.

"I...uhh...I..." Michelle paused as she chewed on her bottom lip like she was trying to figure out where to start. She gathered her courage. Looking back up at him, Michelle started, "I need to be honest..." Then she murmured reassuringly under her breath, "I need to be honest..." She swallowed hard and bluntly declared, "I've been scared of you."

Peter froze. His hands started to sweat and all his anger warped into cold, dense fear.

Michelle could feel his fear and she hurried to explain, "I didn't know it and I couldn't name it because I knew it was wrong. I knew, more solidly than anything else, that you wouldn't hurt me but I couldn't get passed what he wanted. What he tried to take." She flicked her gaze away from him, unable to handle the sorrow in his eyes when she added, "The two things became conflated. So every time I felt you get too close. Every time you tried to do something for me - a part of me flashed back to him." Michelle bit her lip as she tried to get a handle on what she was saying before she looked back up at him, "I knew it was you but I couldn't stop the fear."

Michelle narrowed her eyes as she realized she wasn't explaining it the way she wanted. She coughed a few times to buy herself a second to think before she kept going, "I was...stuck. And I was angry and hurting and every time you forgave me and did something for me, you proved to me how unlike myself I was acting and I _hated_ you for it." Her eyes hardened a bit before she explained, "Partially because I hated my weakness and partially because I think I was afraid that you would eventually figure out I'm not worth that effort."

Peter tightened his grip on her hands and started shaking his head, blurting out, "That's not true, MJ. You are wo-"

She flicked her eyes up over his shoulder before she continued cutting him off, "Nat told me that I needed to find some kind of control. Something to make me feel like I was making a decision again. So when you were making all the decisions for me, even though it's what I needed...it's not what I wanted." She looked down at their clasped hands and whispered, "I think that's why I had every intention of trying to drive you away once I proved to myself I could do this on my own."

Peter physically reacted when she admitted that. He sat back, his legs slipping out from under him as he fell onto his butt and his mouth opened a few times before he managed to choke out, "What? Why? What'd I do..."

Michelle squeezed his hands and started talking before he could finish that statement. She corrected with a soft smile, "Peter, you didn't do anything wrong. That's the point...you have been with me every moment since this started and at best I've returned that care with lukewarm appreciation and selfish acceptance. You deserve so much more than that and it's not fair to you in the least. But I needed control and I think that was the only way I could think to get it." Michelle dropped her gaze to their hands as she waited for the denial.

Peter leaned forward earnestly, clutching her hands a little tighter as he promised, "I could have given you that, I can back off." Then he asked with an almost strangled cry, "Why were you thinking like that?"

Michelle hated herself for what she was putting him through but she knew she couldn't stop. She answered simply, "Because I needed you." Then she explained, "I don't do that. I don't need people. I want to be with you but..." Michelle's eyes started to well up before she ground, "I didn't want to need you. It was too much lack of control. Too much taken away from me and I couldn't handle it. I didn't know how anymore." Her tears dripped down her cheeks but she didn't sob, she kept going, "It was okay before this but I couldn't figure out how to exist the way things were, so I decided to leave. Let you go. Force myself to stop needing you."

She dropped her gaze once more and murmured, "I was making you unhappy and I think that reality made it easier to justify to myself. I'm realizing it's hard to admit you're scared, but it's much easier to wrap that fear in a selfless shroud and declare you're being the better person."

"'m not unhappy, Michelle. Please...stop." Peter shifted in his crouch, fighting the urge to hug her and stop her from saying things like that.

Michelle looked up at him again and whispered, "I know." She took a deep breath and continued, "Natasha helped with that too. I know what I was doing now." She looked sheepishly at him, vulnerability clear in her eyes, "But that still doesn't change the fact that I am making you unhappy. And I felt, still feel, like I don't deserve you."

Peter held her gaze even as he frowned and bit his tongue to keep from saying anything because it seemed like she wasn't done and he was desperate to show he was listening.

Michelle continued, "It's just...I felt like I was spiraling and every time you just took care of it, it reminded me that I was floundering...It made me angry and I took it out on you."

Peter watched her with watery eyes. He didn't want to lose his relationship over this.

Michelle saw the tears and immediately felt guilty. She was doing it again and she forced herself to get to the end. She swore, "I don't ever want you to be unhappy, Peter. And I was causing that and I wanted to stop it so I figured it was safer for you, and me, if we weren't together anymore. I was trying to protect you. Or at least that's what I told myself. I think I was really trying to protect myself."

Peter shook his head and he clenched his teeth hard before he ground out, "Michelle, please..."

Michelle leaned forward and tugged his hands close. She looked him in the eyes and whispered, "I'm not anymore. I just...needed you to understand where I was, what I was thinking."

Peter watched her for the first time since he had run into the room and realized that she did look a bit lighter, a bit more like herself.

Michelle held his searching gaze, she knew he was trying to tell if she was lying but she allowed her lighter burden to show and given his reaction, it did. Then she did something she had not done since the day of the attack, Michelle leaned forward and pecked him on the lips. It was light, barely a whisper of a kiss but it was the closest she had willingly gotten in almost two months. The motion was so fast that she pulled back before he realized what was going on. His surprised gaze immediately flicked to hers. Michelle couldn't help but be reminded of their first kiss, he had been surprised then too.

Peter couldn't help the jolt it sent through him. Only then did he realize that they hadn't kissed since it had happened. He had been too focused on helping her to make any kind of demand like that, the most he had done had been to kiss her forehead. This was different and for as badly as he wanted to kiss her again, he held back. He appreciated this change but he was too afraid of scaring her to push.

Michelle watched him for a few moments, waited to see if he was going to reach forward and kiss her but when he didn't, she leaned forward again and kissed him. It was chaste but there was something about his willingness to let her set the pace that dislodged just a little bit more of the burden sitting on her. He didn't push, he wasn't rough, he just was there. For her. He was just Peter. And Michelle realized there was something incredibly comforting about that.

Something that a growing part of her was alright needing. At least to some extent.

* * *

Later that night, Peter tentatively slid under the covers. He looked over at Michelle with hesitation as he tried to figure out if she would actually want him to be there later in the night. But she didn't seem to have any of the reservations that he did. He nervously fidgeted with his pillow before he realized he needed to make sure she wasn't just doing this for him and that she was, in fact, ready for this. His voice was quiet when he asked, "Are you sure this is okay?"

"Yah." Michelle answered simply. She wasn't sure why but this felt like the right course to take, she needed to prove to herself she wasn't there anymore, she needed to listen to Natasha. Without another word, she snuggled close to Peter and quickly fell asleep.

Peter followed a little later, still a little nervous about the prospect even if Michelle swore it was alright.

* * *

Peter jolted awake when something hit him. It took him a few groggy seconds to understand exactly what was it was but then he heard Michelle's panicked voice. Peter immediately let go and all but jumped away from her.

"Get away! Get away from me!" Michelle screamed as she shoved at Luke. She could feel the pain spike in her chest but she was desperate to get away. She only calmed down when he let go of her.

Once the imagined threat had passed, Michelle's eyes popped open and she was able to see her world for what it really was. She wasn't on the street in the dark, she was in her bedroom. That was when she looked up and saw Peter standing next to the bed, his hands held out in front of him and a look of dejection on his face. Immediately, she realized what happened. Without warning, Michelle curled slightly and started to sob.

Peter wanted so badly to help but he was terrified of making it worse so he stayed where he was, twisting his fingers in front of him as he waited to see what she would do.

Michelle managed to form words out of her sobs as she choked out, "I'm sorry."

Peter shook his head, his voice quiet when he assured, "No, no, please don't apologize, MJ. It's okay, I promise." He scrunched his face when he remembered what she said earlier but he wasn't sure what else to say other than reassurances. He bit his tongue to keep from saying more and tentatively sat down on the edge of the bed instead. Using what she had done earlier, he reached forward to lightly touch her splayed hand, trying to offer some kind of comfort and understanding.

But Michelle flinched away, her hands coming up in front of her and her legs curling up into her chest as she tried to become as small as she could. It was instinctual and as soon as she watched Peter's face somehow drop farther, she got angry at herself and as badly as she wanted to reach out to him, she couldn't. She couldn't force her arms to move and her legs to uncurl. That made her even more angry and she felt hot tears of frustration slip down her cheeks, joining the sorrow. She ground out, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Peter. I don't…I don't know what's wrong." Then she hiccupped, "I thought…I thought this would be okay."

Peter felt like his heart was being torn out of his chest and he pulled back so he was perched on the edge of the bed. Even while he hurried to reassure her again, "It's okay…it's okay…I'll do whatever you need…Just…umm…Do you want me to go into the other room? Or I can sleep on the couch. I can go wherever you want… just…tell me what will help because you need to sleep."

Michelle was so beyond trying to rationalize this and she begged, "Please don't…don't go away."

"Okay…" Peter breathed out as his eyes landed on his pile of blankets, "I can keep sleeping on the floor again…you can have the bed."

For whatever reason, something about that vocalized offer gave her the courage to uncurl from the defensive position she had taken up and without a word, she sat up and launched herself into Peter's arms.

Peter's hand had been thrown back when Michelle dove back into his chest and he flailed momentarily, trying to find his balance. For a long moment, he stayed frozen as he tried to figure out what she needed him to do. But when she sobbed into his chest, he couldn't stop himself as he wrapped his arms around her.

Michelle clutched at him and cried, growling, "I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong. I don't know why I'm still acting like this."

Peter rubbed his hand over her back, trying to calm her and all the while whispering affirmatives, "It's okay, I promise. I know what it's like…it's…it's hard to figure out what to do but that's what I'm here for. I can help you." He whispered into her hair as he made sure to move slowly enough to keep from scaring her.

Michelle snuggled closer, "I just want to stop being anxious…I want to stop being afraid."

That hit him like another dagger to the heart. He couldn't hold his frustration at bay anymore and a few of his own tears slipped into her hair. He understood her sentiment and whispered, "I know but I'm here for whatever you need." Peter rocked her gently as she cried.

* * *

Michelle eventually cried herself out but didn't fall asleep. She was content where she was curled in Peter's arms and she was terrified that if she went back to sleep, all that would disappear again. Her confidence from earlier had slipped and all she was left with were shreds that she tried desperately to pull together. She buried her head in his chest and sucked in a sob as she balled his shirt up around her face while she collected herself. Then she looked up at him again and murmured, "I need you to know that you being patient is helping. I know what I said earlier but this helps."

Peter listened attentively and he unconsciously pulled her closer, thanking every deity he could name that something was working.

Michelle felt Peter's arms tighten around her and she consequently burrowed closer, this was safe. She felt safe but more importantly, she had chosen this. She thought of what Natasha had said, about needing proof. Acting on instinct, needing to see what he would do, Michelle pulled away suddenly. There was a brief half a breath of confusion she could feel as he tensed but once he processed what she wanted, he opened his arms completely and gave her a chance to escape.

He gave her the control and something shifted.

Michelle didn't pull away, instead she tucked herself closer again and whispered, "Thank you."

Peter was confused by what he had done to earn her thanks but as long as she was moving closer to him, he was okay with it. He wrapped his arms tight around her again and held her before he pressed a tentative kiss into her hair. Then he whispered questioningly, "You're welcome…"

Michelle murmured, "I lost my control…"

Peter could tell that wasn't something a normal human would have heard and he assumed she had just worked something out. Not wanting to break this spell, he kept his mouth shut and let her continue to do whatever she needed to in order to work through whatever she had figured out.

Eventually, Peter felt her slump against him completely and he realized that she had fallen asleep. For as thankful as he was that was the case, it also made him nervous because he was holding her. Still, he knew that something had changed and he was so desperate to help that he decided to risk it. He gently shifted them both until they were laying side by side and held her while she slept.

After a few hours, when she still hadn't woken up screaming, Peter dozed off himself.

And for once since the attack, Michelle slept through the night with Peter next to her.

* * *

**There you have it, I hope that you guys are still enjoying it and feel free to let me know what you think in the reviews.**

**Have a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**-Lily**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey everyone,**

**Thank you to those of you who favorited and followed, its always really uplifting to see :)**

**And**** thank you to the lovely Ceggle143, I definitely had to do it eventually! I think I ****was starting to get really sad writing them that way and it was nice to write that last chapter so I'm glad you liked it :)**

**Well, that's it for now so...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Tony groaned when his phone woke him up far too early in the morning. Morgan had been up a lot later than he was supposed to be because something was going around his school and naturally he caught it. He had been throwing up most of the night and Tony and Pepper had just gotten the exhausted boy to sleep.

But now Tony's phone was vibrating.

He had absolutely no idea what time it was but what mattered was that he was finally sleeping, his phone was vibrating against the nightstand, and he hadn't answered it. Had no intention of answering it. It wasn't Peter's emergency ring so he wasn't worried, assuming it was one of the other hundreds of people who somehow managed to get his number. The only thing his tired mind could question was why the hell they were calling him so early. Then the vibrations stopped and Tony sighed in thanks, slipping almost immediately back to sleep.

Then Pepper's phone started to ring _and_ vibrate, bouncing along the nightstand in a significantly more annoying display. The only difference was that Pepper was responsible and, after hitting Tony in the chest for his lack of accountability, snapped her phone off the table. Pepper pushed herself up against the headboard and answered groggily, "Hello?"

Tony felt guilty knowing that Pepper was probably answering the phone call he should have and after a long moment, he pushed back against the headboard and shook his head to wake up. He was still collecting himself when he felt Pepper stiffen. That was not good. Instinct took over and all the tiredness fled. Her gaze flicked to his and she just looked…angry. Tony's eyes widened as he tried in vain to hear the piece of the conversation he was missing. But no matter how he strained, he wasn't getting enough from her responses.

After what felt like an eternity, through which Tony held his breath, Pepper hung up and dropped the phone and her hands into her lap. She breathed hard through her nose a few times before she looked up at Tony. Her eyes were blazing and she muttered through clenched teeth, "We need to talk to Peter."

Tony was on edge already and the mention of his oldest son sent him over, he sat up rigidly straight and asked, "Why? What happened?" His mind started to spin to all thing implications that short statement could hold.

Pepper turned up her lip slightly as she explained with a slight snarl, "There was another woman who was attacked in a similar way and in a similar location to Michelle."

Pepper's tone honed Tony's nerves and he skipped over the question he really should have asked with a rushed, "Did she…is she alright?" He unconsciously knew the answer but was praying that he was wrong.

Pepper clenched her teeth hard before she growled, "She's dead."

"Shit." Tony spat and then his mind caught up to the situation. He scrunched his face and belatedly asked, "Wait, how the hell did he get out of jail?" He took a second to think about it before he selfishly asked, "Are they sure it was it him?" For a split second, he was hoping it wasn't because that would mean he wouldn't have to tell Peter that the man who had attacked his girlfriend had killed someone because he was busy taking care of her.

Pepper saw the hesitation in his eyes and hers took on partially apologetic gaze when she explained, "Bail, he's out on bail." She took a deep breath before she relayed the contents of her conversation, "She was beaten, same as Michelle. And there were witnesses who saw her leaving the bar with a man who matched Lucas's description."

"Goddammit." Tony swore, his hands balling into fists in his lap before he snapped his furious gaze over to Pepper in a plea for some solution. Every emotion he was feeling crossed his face before he landed on horrified and he nearly whispered, "I have to tell him." He looked up at the ceiling for a moment before he glanced at the wall across from him, carefully weighing his options. But even then, when he wasn't quite sure what to do, he growled in frustration and looked back at Pepper, "Should I call him now?"

Pepper's gaze softened farther as she watched the unbridled fear play across Tony's face and she gently reassured, "Not tonight, let him sleep. There's nothing you can do right now and he's just going to feel guilty. It can wait until the morning."

* * *

When he woke up the next day, Peter couldn't help but tighten his arms around Michelle. It had been so long since they had slept normally that for a moment Peter thought it was a dream. But when he didn't wake up again and he shifted enough to realize he was actually comfortable, it was obvious this wasn't his imagination. For just a few more moments, he held her, waiting with bated breath for it to be broken.

Instead, Michelle continued to sleep.

So Peter went back to dozing. He was supposed to be in at nine-ish but he also knew no one would challenge him if he wasn't there. Not that he was actually sure what time it was because he was petrified to move enough to get to his phone. He shrugged internally because he needed to talk to his dad anyway so there was a really good chance he wasn't getting anything done today regardless of when he went in.

When Michelle finally stirred, it was gently. She didn't jerk or jump away from him and as soon as her breathing changed, Peter let go. But she didn't move, instead she smiled tiredly before she tucked her head back into his chest and sighed as she relaxed again.

Peter lightly wrapped his arms back around her and both slipped back to sleep.

When they woke up about an hour later, Michelle rolled away, not in panic just out of a need to get moving. Peter forced himself to wake up too. He rubbed his eyes and looked over at her, "Mornin', MJ…"

Michelle smiled and whispered, "Good morning." She blinked her eyes open a little wider before she said with a little more strength, "Thank you...for everything." Then she leaned forward and kissed him.

Peter was more ready this time and returned the gesture. It was still innocent but it was getting closer to normal. He couldn't help but smile against her lips and felt her smirk in return. They were getting there. After a few moments, she pulled away from him and slid out of bed stepping toward the closet. She called out over her shoulder, "What time is it?"

Peter rolled over and tapped his phone, "It's…8:23." Then he looked in the direction of the closet, his voice rising a bit, "MJ, do you want to come to Tower with me today? I'm sure you can work remotely..." When he saw her face scrunch in disappointment, he hurriedly added, "Just until we know what's happening."

"Peter…" Michelle warned softly, pausing and turning toward him. This conversational direction was getting close to what she didn't want and she firmly said, "I'm not helpless."

Peter widened his eyes, realizing what she thought but that wasn't what he meant. He quickly explained, "No…I'm sorry, I didn't mean that, I just meant that it would…give us a chance to get a handle on what's going on." Peter closed his eyes when he realized how poorly he was explaining his intentions. So he decided on honesty, "I can't protect you and if he's out there…" He dropped his gaze for a moment before he looked back up at her, "I'm terrified of what's going to happen if you see him again or, if god forbid, he recognizes you." Peter shuddered just a bit before he added with a shy plea, "Just for today, please?"

Michelle could hear the fear in his voice. He was afraid for her, he wasn't pitying her, he was scared but she also knew she needed to do this on her own. She decided to compromise, "I'm only going in for a half day today. What if I come to the Tower after work instead of coming back here?"

Peter bit his tongue, it wasn't exactly what he wanted.

Michelle saw the expression but chose to ignore it as she elaborated, "I need to prove to myself I can do this which means I need to go to work but I promise if anything happens, I'll call you this time."

Peter nodded as he listened to her compromise, it would only be a few hours, but still, he couldn't stop himself from asking, "Are you sure? Do you want me to walk you to work?"

Michelle smiled softly at his questions and then answered with renewed confidence, "I'm okay, Peter, I promise. And I can't rely on you to take me to work every day so I need to do this."

Peter decided to try once more, "It was just yesterday…"

Michelle tried to listen to his side before she got angry, she knew he was worried and she bit back the slight resentment she felt at his continued pushing. She needed to get him to listen so she forcefully said, "I know but I _need_ to do this."

"Okay." Peter relented, recognizing that he was being too pushy and instead he sheepishly asked, "Promise you'll call if anything happens?"

Michelle heard the sorrow in his voice and a thought hit her. Pleased by her returning ability to compromise, she asked, "Do you want me to take droney with me?"

"Really?" Peter perked up at that suggestion. That was better, he could deal with that.

Michelle smiled at his response, "He can sit on my bag. That way if anything happens, Karen can tell you."

Peter nodded his immediate response and they both were out the door in the next ten minutes. They parted ways at the street, droney sitting happily (for a mechanical spider) on Michelle's bag and Karen queued up on Peter's watch. On the way to the office, Peter couldn't help but finally think about what she had told him the day before. He needed to talk to Tony.

* * *

For as late as he was, Peter still beat Tony into their lab. He pulled up his most recent project and tried to focus enough to get some work done. It didn't really happen and instead, he just ended up tweaking a few things only to undo them ten minutes later when he realized how poorly they performed. Ultimately, he ended up staring at the screen blankly while a thousand other thoughts jumped through his head.

Peter was so spaced out he didn't even hear Tony when he got in.

Tony saw Peter sitting at his desk and for a minute he could have sworn his son was asleep given how still he was sitting. Afraid of scaring him if that was the case, Tony quietly asked, "Pete? You awake?"

Peter jumped when he realized Tony had entered without him noticing and in response, he hurriedly spun away from his computer and started talking without even a greeting, "MJ saw him yesterday when she was going to work…"

Tony's eyes widened at the revelation and he felt his stomach drop into his toes. He had spent what little was left of the night awake and worried about how he was going to explain what happened and now this. He hurriedly asked, "She saw him? Where? What happened?"

Peter was so intent on what he was thinking about that he missed the knowing inflection in Tony's voice. Just realizing that he had Tony's attention, Peter plowed ahead, "She saw him in front of the UN. It scared her and she called Natasha to come get her."

"That's why I couldn't get ahold of her yesterday…" Tony trailed off and rubbed his hand over his face before he murmured, "You're gonna like this even less then."

But Peter's emotions were running thin and he completely missed Tony's ominous warning. He was distracted by his own thoughts and snarled, "What the hell happened? I thought he was supposed to be in jail?"

Tony shrugged, throwing his hands up to the side in his frustration. But when that didn't explain anything, he sighed and dropped them again, answering, "The judge released him on his own recognizance."

Peter was angry but he was also confused by that response. Reacting on instinct, he asked, "Why? He hurt her, intentionally, maliciously. I was there when she told the cops what happened. How could they let him out after that?"

Tony hadn't wanted to be quite this blunt but he was tired and he needed Peter to understand before they could begin to solve the problem. Tony needed him focused, "You, Pete." Tony paused as he let that sink in before he elaborated, "His lawyers argued excessive force was punishment enough for right now and that he deserved bail."

"Excessive force…" Peter mumbled as he tried to understand what that meant before he added quizzically, "But I'm not a cop?"

Tony shook his head and elaborated, "No, you're not but their argument was that you were acting as an extension of the law since NYPD allows you to act in the city without branding you a vigilante, which technically they should."

As soon as that explanation was given, Peter's face contorted in rage and he spat, "Excessive force." Then he continued, anger seizing him, "He attacked her, I stopped him. How the hell did I use excessive force?"

Tony held his hands up in front of him in a placating way, a little nervous of the anger in his son's tone. His tone was even when he explained, "You knocked him out once he was webbed up. It won't hold up in court but this is about where he spends his time until the trial."

Peter snarled, "So what? He just gets to be out there? He's going to do it again and if I can't be there, if a cop can't be there, he's going to kill the next woman he attacks." Peter ran his hands through his hair in frustration, trying to figure out how to deal with that. Without his approval, tears welled up in his eyes.

Tony saw the frustration and anger building and he immediately surged forward and wrapped Peter in a tight hug before he could withdraw. He slid a hand up into Peter's hair and held him as the tears started to fall. His own tears built, reacting to his son's pain and because he knew what he had to tell him next. Tony was afraid that Peter would blame himself for what happened. At that thought, he pulled him tighter and held him until Peter pulled himself together. It didn't take long, anger is a powerful motivator.

Gently, Tony pushed Peter to arms' length and guided him to the chairs. Once they were sitting, trying to keep his voice even, Tony explained, "Pete, I gotta tell you something else but I need you to promise that you're not going to lose it."

Peter's anger slipped a little farther away and his morbid curiosity, and not a little horror, took over as his eyes widened and he muttered, "I promise…"

Tony took in a deep breath and let it out quickly before he said, "Another woman was attacked last night."

Peter snapped, "What?" He stared hard at Tony, seething and breathing carefully through his nose, trying to control his anger. It didn't work and he could feel a slight edge of panic slipping alongside his fury. Peter leapt out of his chair and turned his back on Tony. He pressed his hand to his head and took a deeper breath before he let it out slowly. It didn't help either and he gained absolutely none of the control he wanted. Instead, he turned, fixed a furious gaze on his dad, and snarled, "What. Happened?"

Tony, for the first time in their relationship, shrank away from his son. He looked up at Peter and said, "Pete, you gotta calm down. I'm not telling you anything until you stop looking at me like I'm the one who hurt MJ."

Peter's expression dropped like Tony had slapped him and he physically caught himself before he whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, dad. I just…I don't know…"

Tony's expression softened and he quietly said, "I get it, kid, but you have to keep it together here."

Peter squared his shoulders, visibly collected himself, and looked down at Tony expectantly.

Once he was sure Peter wasn't going to lose it, Tony started, "They don't know much yet but there was a woman who was killed near where MJ was attacked, she was beaten, raped, and strangled."

Peter was shaking but managed to hold his voice relatively even when he asked, "Did they arrest him?"

"Not yet…" Tony winced, completely cognizant of the next question.

And then the anger was back in Peter's tone and he growled, "Why not?"

Tony shook his head sadly, "Because…there were only two witnesses who identified him, three others said it kind of looked like him but they weren't sure. The police are worried that if they bring him in too soon, his lawyers will claim harassment."

"So that's it, they just let him go." Peter was shaken and hurt, his eyes skittering across the floor at their feet because he couldn't meet his dad's gaze.

Tony understood how he was feeling and he tried to ease the anger, "Peter, they're not letting him go but they are trying to do their job. It's just a lot slower than ours."

Like it flicked a switch, Peter's burning anger cooled as his tone took on an icy hiss when he said, "Then let's make it happen faster."

Tony could normally follow Peter's thought processes but this one was much more erratic than normal. Tony furrowed his brow as he tried to figure out exactly what Peter meant because his immediate thought was Peter was talking about murder. But that wasn't Peter. That was him, no doubt, but it wasn't his son. So Tony gave him the benefit of the doubt as he narrowed his eyes and asked, "What do you mean?"

Peter's eyes darted as the plan formed in his mind, "Natasha can lure him in and we'll…I don't know…get him to confess?" His confidence faltered at the end as he wasn't quite sure where he was going. Yet.

Tony frowned as he listened, his unsure expression deepening at the apparent orders for Natasha, "You can't make her do that, Peter."

Peter's gaze jumped up at the slight disappointment in Tony's tone and he hurried to explain, "I wouldn't never even try to make her do anything, I'm gonna ask. And if she can't or doesn't want to, I'll deal with him."

The last bit of the comment bordered as dangerously close to a threat that Tony was willing to allow. He shook his head at the desperation of this plan before he continued to press Peter's justification, "Why would he tell everything to Natasha?"

Peter shook his head and elaborated, "Not to her. To me."

Tony furrowed his brow further before he asked, "How are you going to get him to do that?"

Peter shrugged, his voice a little more confident when he explained, "He talked to me when I stopped him, he seemed…" Peter swallowed as he tried to figure out how to finish the statement. He scowled a bit before he continued, "Like he wanted to explain, brag, I'm not sure. But I think he would have kept going if I hadn't hit him. I think he'll talk to me if I stop him again, I think I can make him tell me what's going on."

"Peter…" Tony warned, "Are you sure you wanna do that?"

Peter's anger dissipated and it was only his desperation and determination that were left when he argued, "We have to stop him, dad. He can't be allowed to be out there anymore. He can't."

Tony watched him for a long minute and he saw the anguish undercut by conviction that he had no hope of challenging. Every crime for Peter was a personal one, every person he saved represented the uncle he had failed but this was so much closer to home than almost anything else he had dealt with and Tony couldn't help the flicker of doubt that questioned Peter's composure when he saw Lucas again. Ever worried about him, Tony couldn't help but ask, "Can you do that? Can you look him in the eyes, talk to him? Can you get what you need without losing it?"

Peter caught himself and slowed down enough to actually think about that answer. He chewed his lip as he carefully weighed his ability. When he was sure he would be able to do exactly that, he looked back up at Tony, sheer confidence on his face, "Yes."

Tony studied his eyes for a few more moments and something in Peter's gaze told him that he needed to at least help him try. Tony took a deep breath before he nodded and slapped his hands against his thighs, "Let's go talk to Natasha."

* * *

**Now we're getting into the revenge portion of this story :)**

**And that also means we're getting toward the end. I'm thinking about four to five more chapters on this one (of course if you've read anything I've written before, I'll probably end up being way wrong on that haha) to wrap everything up. I hope you're still enjoying the story and that the characters still seem authentic.**

**Let me know what you think in the reviews! **

**I hope everyone has a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**-Lily **


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey everyone,**

**I have another chapter for you! ****Before I get to it though, I want to make sure to say thank you to:**

** \- the amazing ****Ceggle143, I'm kind of glad I was able to surprise you on that :) You'll have to read and find out but thank you so much for always interacting with the story, I love it! **

** \- the awesome jaredjwalker1994, I'm so glad you like the story so much! And I have to agree, they're definitely one of my favorites and so much fun to write!**

**Thank you so much both of you, I really appreciate it!**

**Alright, that's it so I hope you...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Peter unconsciously flicked his eyes across the room for a second before he asked, "She's here?" He scrunched his face when he realized how dumb that question was but it was too late for him to take it back.

Tony shot his son a disbelieving look before he gave a small scoff, "Nooo...we're going to the Compound."

Peter's eyes widened and he hurriedly explained, "But MJ's coming here after work." The last thing he wanted to do was tell her that she had to go home after the conversation they had earlier.

Tony shrugged, "Okay well, you can come back and get her." Tony looked at him with mocking scrutiny, "Kid, did you forget? It's my jet."

Peter narrowed his eyes in annoyance but was forced to follow when Tony suddenly turned on his heel and left before Peter could say anything to contradict the decision. Peter hurried to follow and he couldn't help but feel a little guilty when he saw the other employees outside the lab. He slowed down a bit as he tried to reconciled the fact that he probably should be working on something…but then he heard Tony hit the door close button. Peter looked up just in time to catch his dad's smirk before he had to leap forward to catch the doors. This needed to happen but he still felt a little guilty about the situation.

* * *

Natasha was relaxing. It wasn't often that she got a chance but there wasn't anything pressing her attention until next week so right now it was just kind of waiting to see how long it would be before the next threat. At present, that gave her a chance to read, at least until her attention was broken by the elevator. Assuming it was just someone passing through, she flicked her eyes over the page to wait for her new visitors. She watched quietly as Peter and Tony stepped through the doors and it was apparent something else had happened. Immediately, she started to run through possibilities in the few seconds she had. Michelle hadn't called and Peter was here so that wasn't the problem. Neither looked particularly positive, which was not reassuring. But she also hadn't heard anything from Steve so it wasn't Avengers related. She didn't get any farther before they stopped in front of her. The only thing she knew was that they needed something, so, acting on instinct, she simply asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Neither one reacted, instead sitting stonily on the table across from her. Natasha internally smirked at their mirrored mannerisms as both leaned forward onto their knees to be just a little closer, like they were about to tell her some unfathomable secret. But she sobered quickly.

Peter guiltily clasped his hands in his lap but still met her eyes before he quietly said, "I need your help to catch the guy who hurt MJ."

Natasha cocked her head slightly to the side, raised her eyebrow, and repeated her earlier question, "What do you need me to do?"

Peter looked genuinely surprised at her immediate response and while he knew he should have known better, he still asked, "Do you want to know what happened first?"

Natasha watched the most decent person she had ever met continue to question the validity of his request and she had to bite her tongue to keep from chastising him for that. Instead, Natasha gently asked, "Will this stop him?"

Peter nodded confidently before he winced and tempered it a bit by adding, "That's what we're hoping."

Natasha nodded and assured, "That's all I need. Fill me in."

* * *

It was only about twenty minutes later when the bell on the elevator softly dinged again and the doors slid open. The three were still hunched together, but had stopped talking specifics while they waited to see who it was. Clint stepped into the room. He was looking down at a toy he was trying to fix for the baby when he glanced up to see the three and he paused in surprise. He glanced between the stony faces and tentatively asked, "What are…uhh…what are you guys talking about?"

Immediately, two sets of eyes went to Peter.

Peter flicked his gaze between them before he realized they were waiting for his lead and he looked up at Clint with hooded eyes that only barely hid his insecurities. He swallowed before he explained sheepishly, "Nat's gonna help catch the guy who hurt MJ."

Clint's posture changed, he squared his shoulders and the toy fell forgotten at his side as he asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Peter's face registered only thinly veiled shock and he stuttered, "I don't…I don't know that we need anything right now. I'm gonna be there and so's my dad. I mean, I guess more back up is always good…" He trailed off uncertainly, waiting for someone else to jump in with a better idea.

Instead, Clint filled the silence, "There's no such thing as too much back up. Plus, I've got nothing to do this weekend." He dropped next to Natasha and threw his feet up on the coffee table in front of him, "What's the plan?" On cue, Tony knocked his feet off the table, causing Clint to fall forward like the rest of them before he quipped, "Brand new, Barton."

When they were finally done planning, about an hour later, Steve had also been pulled in as backup.

As they finished up what they could, Peter looked between the gathered group of Avengers and he couldn't help the guilt that forced him to whisper, "You know…I appreciate it but I feel like you guys don't need to waste your time on this."

Tony shot him a look of disbelief but it was Steve who vocalized Tony's expression, "Peter, dealing with this isn't a waste of time. We want to help and even if we don't do anything individually, we ensure nothing happens to Natasha or anyone else. That makes this necessary."

Clint nodded along with the statement, simply adding, "I'm with him."

Peter's eyes widened but he understood he wasn't going convince them otherwise so instead he murmured, "Thank you."

When no one else had anything to add, Natasha looked over at Peter and without leaving space for contradiction, said, "If this is going to work, I need to talk to MJ."

Peter paled before he asked, "Why?"

Natasha frowned sympathetically, she could see the fight he was going to lose, and she tried to make it as painless as possible when she explained, "Because I need to know what happened to make sure that I catch Luke's attention and we're not playing from the back foot if he decides on someone else. I need him to target me."

Peter let out a slight sigh of relief before he quickly explained, "I know what happened, I can tell you."

Natasha's frowned deepened and she tried to explain, "You know the basics, Peter. I need to know something different, something more about _him_."

Peter gaped a few times before he dropped his shoulders, she wasn't going to let this go and if he wanted her help, he was going to have to try. He admitted, "She's coming here after work today, I'll let her know what happened and what we're thinking and then I'll ask if she wants to talk to you. But I'm not going to try to make her do anything."

Natasha nodded encouragingly, understanding his need to protect her, but she also added confidently, "And you shouldn't but she'll do what she has to, to end this." Effectively cutting off any further argument, Natasha turned to Tony, "I need to see the police reports from last night too."

Tony's face was grimly set and he immediately agreed, "Done. FRIDAY'll have them in five minutes."

* * *

Michelle had a pretty good day. She made it to work without incident and managed to slip back into the rhythm easily. She was doing work she was good at and talking with people she knew and that helped. But then Peter texted her and she felt that old familiar pang of fear and panic creep up. It wasn't for any particular reason she could pinpoint but there was something in the undisclosed reason for the change that made her uneasy. For some reason, they weren't staying at the Tower.

She tried to refocus her attention after that and it had worked for the better part of the day but eventually, her growing unease became too consuming for her to really focus on anything else. That was when she decided it would be better to take her half-day.

Michelle sent Peter a quick text, made sure droney was where he needed to be and took a deep breath before she stepped out into the street. It was raining pretty hard and so, while the Tower wasn't far, she decided to take the subway. She wasn't dressed for the weather and she didn't feel like getting soaked. Unfortunately, her apprehension was enough to make the trip feel like it was double the time. Her anxiety sharpened her senses and too late she realized the enclosed space of the subway made that worse. At one point during the ten minute ride, a man sat close and she had the distinct urge to move far away from him. Something about him made her hands sweat and her mouth go dry, it made her so uncomfortable that she pulled out her phone and almost texted Peter.

But then he scooted closer and whether it was consciously or unconsciously, it was too close. In response, Michelle jumped out of her seat and wrapped her hand around the standing bar in front of her. The momentum of her response caused her to twist partially around the bar and when he looked up at her in surprise, Michelle felt herself blush and she dropped her gaze to the floor, trying desperately to avoid his eyes.

Thankfully, he didn't say anything.

She stayed where she was, her sweaty hand slipping on the bar as she clutched it with white knuckles and tried to keep herself steady. Michelle focused on breathing through her nose and calming down. When the doors opened at the next stop, Michelle tore out of the train, needing a less confined place.

She sprinted up the stairs and only stopped when rain whipped into her face. It was still heavily raining but the cool drops felt good on her skin and she was too thrown to care that she was getting wet. She a deep breath and stood frozen on the sidewalk in front of the subway entrance.

She took another deep breath.

Then another.

Only then did she press herself against the brick wall behind her. She crushed her head into her hands as she got control of herself. When she finally did, she stepped back out into the sidewalk and headed toward Avenger's Tower. She could see it rising out of the road ahead of her, it was maybe another four minutes.

* * *

Peter waited nervously for her to get there. He had texted her earlier in the day and told her that they needed to go to the Compound but even that abundance of time didn't make it any easier to prepare for what he was going to have to tell her. He clutched one of his hoodies, a towel, and a bag of clothes tightly in his hands because he knew that she was going to have to walk at least some of the way and he couldn't remember if she had taken an umbrella with her in the morning.

When he finally saw her approaching, he let out a relieved sigh, tempered only by her appearance. Her wet hair was hanging in front of her face, her clothes were sticking to her thin frame, and she had her arms crossed across her chest. She had to be freezing. Peter was thankful he had thought ahead. When she pulled the door open and stepped inside, she looked up and smiled softly as she saw him but that couldn't hide the hesitation behind her eyes. She was nervous about something but instead of asking her about it in the lobby, he held out the towel and gestured to the clothes before he added almost nervously, "I thought you might want to change..."

Michelle's nerves calmed slightly when she caught sight of Peter through the water streaked windows of the Tower. As she pulled the large glass door open and stepped inside, she couldn't help but notice the clothes he had clutched in his hands and she smiled. Warmth welled in her chest and knowing he had her back made it a little easier to let go of more of her fear. She took the proffered towel and ran it through her hair a few times before she wrapped it around her shoulders and whispered, "Thanks". She stayed close as they walked to the elevator. Once the doors closed, he wrapped his arms around her and she leaned against him, relishing in the comfort.

Instead of just changing, she took a warm shower and got herself back into the confident mindset she had before she had left for work. When she came out, dressed in warm clothes, Peter was sitting on the couch waiting for her. She sat down next to him and when he turned to face her, she noticed a hesitation, or maybe fear, in his eyes that she hadn't noticed before. But more noticeably, he wasn't talking. Her eyes narrowed a bit before she asked, "What's wrong?"

Peter's eyes widened, "How do you know something's wrong?" Peter had the fleeting thought that he really needed to get better at hiding his emotions.

Michelle cocked her head slightly to the side before she explained, "You look...nervous."

Peter shrugged but allowed his unease to show as he fidgeted and twisted his fingers. After a moment of quiet contemplation he said honestly, "I don't…I don't know how to tell you this."

Michelle could feel the panic slipping in at the edges, buoyed by his obvious discomfort, and followed closely by fear. She tried to keep it out of her voice when she asked, "Tell me what?" It didn't work and before Peter could answer, she couldn't help the anger that tried to supplant her panic when she ordered, "Just say it. Whatever it is, just tell me."

Peter took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes, "Another woman was attacked last night and the police are pretty sure it was Luke." It was abrupt and he hated it but there was really no good way to sugar-coat it.

Michelle knew the answer but forced herself to squeak out anyway, "Is she…"

But before she could finish the question, Peter was shaking his head.

Michelle mentally stumbled. He had killed someone. The last thing that woman had seen had been _his_ seething face and Michelle couldn't stop the guilt that shot through her. She was alive. She was alive because Peter had saved her and that woman was dead because he hadn't been patrolling. He had been with her. Then the guilt shifted and all Michelle could see was Luke's face. She couldn't drive it out, couldn't stop it from growing in her mind. Her breathing sped up and she dug her hands into the cushions at her side to try and center herself.

Thankfully, Peter had learned and grabbed ahold of the hand closest to him, giving her a way to ground herself without being intrusive. It helped.

She recognized the grip, even where she was in her head, she recognized his hands. They were calloused and worn, exactly what she knew. Michelle reminded herself she was with Peter, not in the dark. Not alone. Not dead.

Michelle forced herself to focus on the situation, pushing the guilt away for now. A part of her had known this was a possibility, anyone who was that angry had the ability to kill but at the same time, she hadn't expected it. As she grappled with that, she realized the overriding solution, to all of this, was to deal with it. That thought became her fixture. This needed to end. She didn't know she had decided to speak but her flat voice echoed through the room anyway, "What's going to happen to him?"

Peter watched her distracted gaze and he tried to pull it back, "We're going to stop him." Peter waited until she looked at him before he explained what they were thinking, laying out the problems the police were having and the solution they had.

Peter's voice helped her focus and she met his gaze, even though it took a few minutes for what he was saying to get through her muddled mind. But the longer he went on, the extent of the help became clear and Michelle couldn't help but close her eyes tightly as a few tears fell. She had been with Peter for a long time, had seen exactly what the Avengers did, but to have them working to help her, to protect her, was…humbling.

Peter watched her with concern as he tried to figure out how he was going to address the next part of the plan. Finally, he bit his lip and said, "MJ, I have to ask you something."

Michelle nodded, still a little unsure of herself and too discombobulated to really say anything. Her eyes were still closed as she tried to figure out what was going to happen.

Peter saw the fear in her posture and he hated it, hated even more what he was going to ask her to do but Natasha had been so sure about it being important. He took a deep breath and slipped his free hand into hers, gently tugging her toward him completely before he asked, "Can you tell Nat everything that happened?"

Michelle's eyes snapped open and locked on his like a lifeline before she stuttered, "Why?"

Peter panicked at that question, and for the first time he wondered if she would be able to do this, "She said that in order for her to make sure that he pays attention to her and no one else, she needs to know what catches his attention." Peter felt sick saying that but he bit back the bile. His voice was soft, "Since you're the only one…who…" Peter swallowed hard before he continued, "Can…she needs to hear it from you."

Michelle heard his trepidation and realized that, even if it was unconscious, there was a part of him that was questioning her ability. In that instant, she immediately decided that couldn't happen. She had to do this. Squeezing his hands, she asked with a little more confidence, "This will help?"

Peter shrugged slightly before he awkwardly explained, "Nat said it would and I've never seen her wrong before."

"Okay." Michelle agreed simply. It wasn't quite the strength she wanted but it was a direction and that she could handle.

Peter intensely held her gaze, "Really? Are you sure, MJ? If you're not, we'll figure something else out."

Michelle heard the concern in his tone and she realized she needed to convince him almost more than herself. She gathered her courage and swallowed back her fear before she promised, "If I can help stop him, I'm damn sure."

* * *

It wasn't a long flight back to the Compound and they didn't talk much. Michelle curled into Peter's side and relaxed as she gathered herself. He let her. And when they got back there, they headed up to Peter's room where Michelle thought she would be more comfortable. Once she was settled, Peter went down to grab Natasha.

Peter found her with the others in the kitchen. He stepped close enough, missing the set up to the joke that had the others rolling. As he stepped onto the tile, they looked up and the collective humor shifted. Peter felt guilty but ignored it, "Natasha? She's upstairs."

Natasha's expression shifted into serious and she stepped toward Peter, pausing only a half a second at his side before he turned to walk with her. As they got closer to the elevator, Peter quietly asked, "Can I talk to you about something?"

Natasha looked over at him with a skeptical expression and warily said, "Yah, of course."

Peter chewed on his lip as the door closed in front of them before he turned to her and said, "Thank you for helping her. I didn't get to say that before but I definitely needed to."

Natasha smiled gently at him, before she soothingly explained, "I didn't do much, Peter. She just needed to talk to someone who wasn't you." When he snapped his gaze to her, she hurried to clarify, "And that's not meant to be an insult. You have been her rock since this started, same as she was yours when your dad got injured. Remember? You told her everything and even then, she couldn't understand every piece, so you _had_ to talk to Tony." Natasha gave a nonchalant shrug before she clarified, "You couldn't understand everything she was trying to deal with and so she talked to me. All I did was listen."

Peter shook his head and said earnestly, "That's not all you did though. I don't know everything that you said but I know the impact it had. She feels better. She's on surer ground and that wasn't me."

Natasha smiled a little wider, glad to hear that Michelle was feeling better because it meant she had figured out a way to prove Peter wasn't the threat. Natasha gave a short sigh, "Yes…it was. She's on surer ground because you proved to her that she's safe with you. She needed that…I just helped her see that you were there." The super spy smirked as she watched Peter's reaction. Then she continued, "She needed some confidence. That's it. She just needed reminded that she had people in her corner."

The doors opened and both stepped out but before they got too far, Peter stopped and turned to face her. Natasha mimicked him. He addressed her with complete sincerity, "I appreciate what you're saying, but please don't deflect what you did. You made sure MJ was okay and that means a lot. You helped her start to deal with something she needed to and you…uhhh….saved my relationship so that means a lot too." Peter shrugged as he tried to distract at least some attention away from that revelation. He didn't wait for her to comment though, he started walking toward his room.

That startled Natasha, she hadn't realized Michelle was thinking of ending things with Peter over this and she was a little thankful she hadn't known that before. It didn't matter though because before she could say anything else, he stepped away and she was forced to follow. Right now they had bigger things to deal with.

* * *

**Another chapter down! Hopefully you enjoyed it and feel free to let me know what you thought in the reviews.**

**I hope everyone has a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**-Lily**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey everyone,**

**Thank you to those of you who favorited, its nice to see :) And I want to say thank you to the amazing Ceggle143 - you are wonderful and I appreciate you so much!**

**Alright, on to the author's note. I'm trying something a little different in terms of the flow of the story with this chapter and next chapter. It juxtaposes the past and the present and I'm hoping it works. If you don't like it, or if its confusing, please let me know because its the first time I've tried writing like this and I would like to know if it was a good idea or not. If it doesn't work though, please just be nice!**

**Alright so that's all of the author's note I have so...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Peter beat Natasha into the room and gracefully sat down next to Michelle on the bed, leaning over just enough to whisper, "Are you sure you're okay with this?" As he waited, he watched Natasha grab a chair from his desk and carry it with exaggerated slowness before she sat it in front of them.

"Yah." Michelle whispered simply as she squared her shoulders. She was focused on Natasha but then she caught Peter staring at her out of the corner of her eye. She turned a little more fully toward him, grabbed his hand and murmured, "I promise. I can do this."

Peter nodded slowly as he settled next to her, feeling the loss when Michelle pulled her hand away and slipped it into her lap.

Natasha watched the exchange and gave the two a chance to reach an understanding. When they did, without leaving an opening, Natasha carefully explained what she needed, "In order for this to work, I need you to tell me everything you remember about that night, everything you can remember about him and everything you can remember about what you were doing." Her sharp eyes fixed on Michelle's and she asked, "Can you do that?"

Michelle swallowed hard and let her gaze fall to her clasped hands for a moment before she looked back up at Natasha and nodded.

Natasha nodded in return and asked, "What do you remember?"

Michelle couldn't help the look she flicked over to Peter, he had heard the bulk of the story but there were things that had been said that she hadn't even thought to tell him. There was a twisting pain that settled in her stomach at that thought, still she knew she had to trust Peter. She swallowed as she looked back at Natasha and started, "I was at a bar maybe fifteen minutes from our apartment. I wanted to grab a drink while I finished up a book I've been trying to read for a few weeks. Peter was patrolling and I just felt like I wanted to go out. It's a comfortable place and the lights aren't too dim so I found a booth toward the back, specifically away from people and I…ummm…ordered a beer."

Michelle was a little unsure of what this had to do with anything so she couldn't help but asked, "Do you really need everything? Can I just tell you what I noticed about him?"

Natasha shook her head sadly before she calmly explained, "I need to make sure that he targets me over every other woman in the bar which means I need to know as much about what you did as possible."

Michelle nodded again and felt Peter tense next to her, she knew he didn't want her to have to do this but he stayed quiet. Michelle kept going, "I don't know how long it was but eventually, a guy stopped over to my table. He stood watching me for a few long seconds, I think. I didn't really pay him much attention at first, thinking he was waiting for a pool table. But he stayed longer than he should have, even if he had been waiting to play pool. Once I realized he was there, I looked up over my book.

"He was wearing jeans and a button down shirt, nothing particularly noticeable. He was attractive, clean-shaven, with a square jaw and short styled blonde hair." Michelle shrugged as she recounted his appearance, "Not really my type but he looked easy enough to get rid of, especially since I noticed at least one other woman who was obviously watching him. I didn't say anything, just watched him over the top of my book and waited to see if he would go away. Instead, he sat down next to me without a word." She glanced up at Peter and she watched his jaw clench tight, he didn't really know this part of the story because she hadn't thought it was relevant, now she was wishing she had told him.

Still, she swallowed hard and continued, "I remember I asked him what he was doing and he said that he needed some company and that I looked like I would be willing to help him. I told him I wouldn't. Then I pulled my book up a little higher in case he somehow hadn't seen it. But he kept talking. He said his name was Luke, that he enjoyed reading too. He tried to ask me how my book was and when I didn't answer, he asked about my favorite author and my favorite genre, it seemed like anything he could think of to start some kind of conversation. I only let him ask a few questions before I told him it was obvious I didn't want to be bothered."

She closed her eyes as she tried to remember what he had done next, when she had worked through the sequence, her eyes popped open and she continued, "I asked him what he was hoping to accomplish by barging in when it was obvious I wanted to be left alone. He told me he was just trying to be nice, that he was new to the city, that he was alone, and that I was the only one in the bar who looked like they had anything interesting to say. I told him that I rarely did and that I would appreciate it if he would let me finish my beer and my book on my own."

Michelle scowled as she remembered that and her voice held a level of annoyance when she snapped, "I tried to be blunt about it and never once made him think I was interested, but he still sat back in the chair like I had somehow ruined his night…"

Natasha leaned forward and asked, "What do you remember about his voice? His mood, anything?"

Michelle bit her lip as she thought about that for a few moments before she answered Natasha's questions the best she could. She slowed down and made sure to lay it out, "His voice lowered into a…snarl and he became much less welcoming and much more…aggressive. He insisted the only reason I wouldn't let him sit with me was because he hadn't bought me anything. I told him it had nothing to do with that. Then he got really sarcastic, like he didn't believe me and he condescendingly asked what I considered the 'real reason why'. I remember it pissed me off so I told him I had a boyfriend and was more interested in maintaining my relationship with an actual human being and finishing my book than talking to him. He…snarled again...but didn't say anything else, just...stood up. It was what I wanted so I didn't think anything of it and I went back to reading." Michelle shrugged noncommittally because it had been such an innocuous thing.

Then she lowered her eyes before she continued, "About half an hour later a drink was sent over to my table."

Michelle swallowed hard before she explained, "It was this pink, sweet thing, nothing I drink. I had a beer before that. I kinda figured it was from him but I wasn't sure until I looked around and caught him staring at me. It irritated me that he even thought to send something over after what I had told him and on top of that he had gotten it _so_ wrong. So I…umm…I dumped it out."

She took a deep breath, tears springing to her eyes before she explained, "I made sure to make eye contact and I dumped it into my empty beer glass." She rubbed her hand under her nose as she remembered the burning anger in his eyes when she had done that. It wasn't something that had registered at the time, she was too busy dealing with his unwanted advances that she hadn't caught it. She felt Peter tense next to her but he didn't move, just sat up a little straighter as she continued, "He was looking at me over another woman's shoulder, someone who was infinitely more interested in him than I was. I figured that would end it unequivocally. He flipped me off behind her back so I smiled and went back to my book." Michelle shrugged as she unconsciously and unconfidently tried to figure out what she had done so wrong.

* * *

It was almost a week later that they found him. He had changed his look enough to be missed on a casual glance but not enough to raise more suspicions from the authorities. The others tracked him long enough to figure out his usual movements and Natasha had found a bar that was accessible and empty enough to work with.

She had been there since about six and was wearing clothes she had taken from Michelle's closet at the Compound. She had a book in her hands and a shot of vodka followed closely by a beer. He had clocked her as soon as he had walked in. Natasha watched from her place at the back of the bar as he passed his gaze from woman to woman. There were a few larger groups he ignored before he focused on the pairs and the couple of women who were alone. Natasha watched with a sickened satisfaction as his gaze kept inching back toward her.

As the night wore on, Natasha watched him out of the corner of her eye as she turned another page. He had been watching her for most of the night but he hadn't quite made a move. Trying to maintain his watchful eye, she flipped her, now tightly curled, hair back and shifted a little so he could see the jeans and shirt she was wearing. She took a sip of her beer and maintained her split concentration, trying to ensure that she turned the pages consistently.

After about thirty more minutes, Natasha watched as he finally took a step away from the bar. While he moved, she continued her distracted reading and tracked his path.

He followed the pattern Michelle had laid out, watching her for a time before he slid into the booth next to her, no introduction or invitation, he simply sat down. For a split second, Natasha wanted to end him for that arrogance alone. Instead she glanced up with a carefully schooled expression that spoke of her wariness but allowed for some curiosity to peak through. It conflicted with her cool tone, "Can I help you with something?"

He leaned forward with a smile. His voice was smooth and held a conceited confidence that matched his approach, "Maybe…I'm new to the city and I don't actually know anyone here. Do you think you would be able to help me with that?"

Natasha closed her book a fraction and countered his aggression with continued hesitation, "What exactly does that mean?"

He maintained his smile but there was a shift in his eyes that Natasha caught even as his voice remained friendly when he replied, "Just that it would be nice to find someone to show me the sites." He leaned forward and whispered, "I can't imagine that walking through New York with a beautiful woman on your arm is a terrible experience."

Natasha blushed a bit as she allowed a little flattery into her voice, "Well, I appreciate the compliment but I have to tell you, I don't know that I'm the best person to be showing you around."

He shifted tactics and replied fawningly, "I think you're the perfect woman…" Then he held out his hand in greeting. He waited for Natasha to take it before he introduced himself, "I'm Luke.

Natasha made sure to keep her voice wary and she shot him a sideways glance as she responded, "I'm Natalie."

"Nice to meet you, Natalie." He answered as he turned her hand over and pinned it to the table. Then he continued the conversation, "So, how long have you lived in the city?"

Natasha had to resist the urge to yank her hand out from under his and she hid it by answering with a coy smile, "All my life." Then she finished less cryptically, "I'm from Manhattan." She specifically kept her answers short, pulling her book up a little higher in her lap as she waited to see if he would catch her intentions before she told him. She let some of her annoyance increasingly color her tone.

His voice was smooth when he continued pushing for some kind of connection, "What's your favorite part about living here?"

Natasha narrowed her eyes a bit at the continued questioning and firmly pulled her hand out of his, trying to mimic some of the rejection Michelle had showed him. She answered but with the hesitation of weary prey, "I don't know, I've never really thought about it…I guess I really love the people and the culture of the city." She paused but before he could ask her anything else, she leaned forward and tucked her hand into her lap, "What exactly are you trying to do here?"

Luke pulled back a bit before he defended himself, "I'm just trying to get to know my gorgeous new guide to Manhattan." He shot her a smooth smile that actually made Natasha's skin crawl and she instantly understood why Michelle had reacted as bluntly as she had. Natasha widened her eyes before she responded, "I…uh…think I'm just going to keep reading, if that's alright." Then she gave him a soft smile and expanded on that directly, "I'm glad to have met you though, Luke." She wanted to make him angry.

The shift in his expression was obvious. His eyes hardened and he shifted away from the table, closing himself off. Then his accusing voice broke the awkwardness, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No…I just…think I would like to finish my book." Natasha saw it then, the flicker that Michelle had mentioned, she had him.

Luke sat back in his chair and his voice dropped, the hot anger of rejection blended with the frustration that came with denial, he snapped, "I see how it is, I come over to start a conversation and you immediately assume that I'm trying something. Are you just like every other woman? Would I have had more luck if I had just brought a drink?"

Natasha's eyes widened in innocence, "What? No? I'm just afraid that I'm giving you the wrong idea. I just…I can't be your guide because I can't help but think that you want something a little bit more than a tour of MoMA. I'm married." Natasha held her hand up and showed him the fake ring on her finger.

Luke snarled then and snapped, "You're not really that beautiful, you know. I just wanted to see if you would be willing to help me out."

Natasha sat back in surprise and said, "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to go away. Now." Without waiting for his response, Natasha pulled her book back up in front of her, effectively putting a barrier between them.

"Bitch." Luke snapped before he abruptly stood and stalked away from her.

Natasha flicked her eyes up and watched his retreating back, a small smirk on her face as she tracked his movements. She watched as he took up a seat at the end of the bar, next to one of the small groups that had trickled in. It kept her in his sight line but he only glanced once in her direction.

Once the initial interaction was over, she just had to wait until he bought her a few drinks before she could finally end this. For a moment, she almost forgot there were others who had her back and she pressed her hand to her ear in surprise as she heard Clint whisper, "I think you got him, Nat." He took a deep breath and nearly whispered out, "Geezus, that was scummy."

"Yup." She mumbled as she continued to watch Luke over the edges of her book.

Steve interrupted the two, "Keep the chatter to a minimum."

The conversation dropped there and Natasha went back to silently splitting her attention. After about forty-five minutes, a drink she hadn't ordered was brought over by her server. Natasha glanced up and murmured uncertainly, "I didn't order anything…"

The woman gestured over her shoulder with her tray before quietly explaining, "It's from him…" Then she leaned a little closer to Natasha and whispered, "I don't know that he's the best person to be accepting a drink from."

Natasha was genuinely surprised by that advice and was not able to completely hide her reaction as she said, "Oh? Why?"

Her server shifted a bit before she continued, "I don't have a real reason but he's...he creeps me out." Then she seemed to realize what she was saying about a customer and hurriedly backtracked, "Sorry, I don't think I should have said anything." The younger woman shot Natasha a guilty look before she started to leave.

Natasha caught her arm and whispered, "Thank you. But I think you might want to let that woman," she discreetly gestured to the brunette he was currently talking to, "know that as well."

The woman nodded almost grimly before she took Natasha's empty glass and headed back toward the kitchen.

Natasha appreciated the woman's advice because it seemed to reiterate that she was on the right track. Natasha picked up the drink carefully and brought it to her lips, taking a small sip before grimacing and putting the drink on the edge of the table. She flagged over the first server she saw. She had thought about dumping it out like Michelle had but realized that might be too reminiscent of what the other woman had done. Natasha wanted to trap him, not give away her identity. Instead, she watched him as the drink was taken back. She caught his gaze then. Luke scowled and flipped her off with one hand even while he brushed the hair back from the other woman's shoulder with the other.

Natasha flagged down her server and ordered another drink.

* * *

**So now that I'm working on getting to the end, I'm think there are going to be between two and three more chapters to this story.**

**I hope this set-up and time jump worked for you. If it did, let me know, if it didn't, let me know that too!**

**I hope you have a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**-Lily**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey everyone,**

**This chapter's a little earlier than normal but I got on a roll so, here's you go for my awesome readers :)**

**I want to make sure to say thank you to those who favorited and followed, it means a lot and a huge thank you to:**

**\- the fantabulous Where The Stars End, I'm glad you like the concept and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!**

**\- the outstandingly amazing Ceggle143, You're suggestions are always so good! Thank you so much for that (I'm definitely thinking about that now) and I hope this chapters lives up to your expectations!**

**That's all I have for now so please...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Natasha leaned forward to catch Michelle's attention and carefully asked, "What do you remember about his demeanor, the way he held himself, anything about the way he talked?"

Michelle swallowed hard and closed her eyes for a few moments as she tried to remember what she could. When she finally met Natasha's gaze, she assuredly explained, "He wasn't charmless. For as obnoxious as he was, he was a smooth talker and one that seemed like he was used to getting his way. And he was really confident."

Michelle swallowed hard, it helped to talk about it but reliving it was never easy. She released a heavy breath before she continued, "I ordered another after that and he turned back to the woman who was obviously more interested in him than I was. I still wanted to finish my book and assumed pouring out the drink was a clear enough message that he would let it drop. But about an hour later, I was mostly finished with my beer and he…umm…he sent another sweet, mixed drink over. I saw him watching the server deliver it and I remember my stomach dropped. I felt really uncomfortable and I think I must have realized there was something actually off about him. So the moment I could, I paid and left." Michelle cleared her throat and whispered, "He must have followed me."

She glanced up at the ceiling for a second before she looked back at Natasha and explained, "I'm always really careful about paying attention to my surroundings, especially because of what you guys do and because of who Peter is, but I didn't see him leave and he somehow got behind me without me noticing." Her anger was palpable when she continued, "I tried to take the quick way home, I guess it was dumb but I wanted to get to a place that had a door I could lock. I think I also kind of thought that he wouldn't think I would try the more secluded route." She flicked her hand up dismissively, her voice flustered when she snapped, "But it doesn't matter. None of it matters."

Michelle caught the fear and anger in her reaction and forced herself to take a breath, to slow down. It took a moment but she found her composure. She continued at a much more even pace, "He followed me. He...uh...waited until I got into the park, hit me a few times, and I ran when I got a chance."

Natasha held up a hand and stopped Michelle, her eyes narrowing suspiciously before she pushed for clarification, "That's it? That's all you remember?"

Michelle looked up at her with pleading eyes. She knew what Natasha wanted but she didn't want to vocalize it, she silently begged for an out.

Natasha frowned, guilt finally seeping in before she pushed, "Michelle, I need you to tell me what you remember. _Everything_ you remember."

Michelle looked sheepishly over at Peter before turning her gaze back to Natasha and asked, "Why do you need to know that?"

Natasha grimaced as she looked between Peter's now fearful expression and Michelle's horrified before she gently prodded, "I told you, I need everything. I need to know what we're preparing for, what to look out for."

Michelle chewed on the inside of her lip, tears springing to her eyes before she nodded a few times and continued with more detail, "I remember the first thing I registered was a hand on my arm. Instinctually...I think...I tried to shake him off but he was strong and he spun me around. It was so dark that before I could even see him, he swung and caught me in the stomach. I don't know why but it seemed a lot harder than what I thought it would be and it stunned me." She swallowed hard, her voice breaking, "H...uhh...he took advantage of it too because he hit me a few more times. I'm not really sure how many but it hurt and at some point, something...broke." Michelle took a deep breath and then her eyes widened like she had just remembered something, "He talked the whole time, telling me that I should just let him do what he wanted and then he wouldn't have to hit me."

Michelle looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember what else he had said and control the tears building in her eyes. When she looked back down, she had found some of that fire again, "He called me a whore, told me I was worthless. That I was just causing him problems at this point. But doing that left him open and I swung. I think I caught him across the cheek. But then he punched me in the head." Michelle closed her eyes for a few moments as she tried to replay what else had happened. But as she did, those images assaulted her again and a few tears escaped as she tightened her hands into fists on her thighs.

Peter sat silently. He forced himself to avoid reacting to what she was saying but it was becoming increasingly difficult. When she was talking about the attack, he had to clench his hand closed to keep from saying anything. Unfortunately, it wasn't until his fingernails bit through his palms that he realized how hard he was actually squeezing his fist. He had promised to let her do this but as he listened to new details it was hard not to tug her close and just tell her not to worry about it.

That he would kill Lucas so she never had to repeat this story again.

But Michelle recovered her composure and kept going.

* * *

Natasha finished her second drink with a slight flourish, setting the glass very obviously on the edge of the table. Continuing to watch him over the pages of her book, it was clear that he had taken notice. He flagged down her server and spoke to her for a moment before subtly pointing over to Natasha's table.

When the younger woman brought the drink over, she looked nervously at Natasha and her voice was quiet when she said, "Its from him again..." She didn't turn and leave, just awkwardly and expectantly watched the seated spy.

Natasha flicked her gaze up to the young woman and for a split second thought about quelling her fears, she seemed genuinely concerned, but at the same time, she was a civilian and Natasha couldn't guarantee she would say anything. Instead, Natasha held her gaze and confidently said, "I know it is."

The server started slightly at the sudden shift in Natasha's demeanor before she asked, "Do you want me to take it back?"

For a split second, Natasha thought about it before she instead picked it up and brought it to her lips. Before she took a sip, she whispered, "Who made it?" There hadn't been any evidence of any type of compound before but it wasn't worth the risk.

The younger woman's eyes widened a bit before she said, "The bartender."

Natasha nodded slowly before she continued, "And then you brought it to me?"

The server nodded understandingly.

Natasha smiled disarmingly at the worried woman before taking a sip of the overly sweet drink and gently setting it back down in front of her. She squarely faced the server before she said, "You can leave this one here."

The server chewed on her bottom lip nervously for a second before she nodded and grabbed the empty beer glass.

Natasha carefully sipped on the drink, watching Lucas and waiting for him to look up at her. When he finally did, she held the glass up and dipped her head in thanks. He shot her a predatory smile before hiding it with a gulp on his own beverage. His covert glances came with a bit more frequency but he didn't approach her.

Once she finished the drink, she noticeably flagged down her server, paid her bill and stood slowly. As she did, Natasha made sure to meet his gaze. Praying that it would be enough, she winked and flicked her hair behind her ear before she turned away and headed out the door.

As soon as she was clear of the doorway, Natasha flicked open her bag, the small screen projected what droney saw from his corner over the bar. Natasha let out a long breath when about two minutes after she left, Lucas paid and also stood up. Natasha put on a show, trying to appear tipsy enough to explain her slow gait and giving him enough time to easily catch her.

He did.

He stepped up behind her and touched the small of her back possessively before he whispered seductively, "I saw you watching me across the bar, did you change your mind about my earlier offer?" He asked it conversationally but before giving her a chance to answer, he continued, "What do you say we go find somewhere quiet and get to know each other?" He brushed a curl of hair back where it had fallen out from behind her ear.

Natasha knew she had him but she wanted to make sure that he would actually try something. She gently pushed his hand away and turned but let her fingers linger near his as she defiantly said, "I shouldn't, I'm married." There was enough hesitation in her voice to keep him interested even while she held up her other hand to show him the fake ring.

He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "That's okay baby, I won't tell anyone."

Natasha pulled away from him with a slight look of horror before she said with more conviction, "No, I don't think I should."

Lucas followed her in response and the hand lingering near hers snapped out to wrap around her wrist before he aggressively demanded, "I paid for your drink, I think you owe me something."

Natasha tugged her arm back toward her stomach before she whispered, "I thought you were just being nice…" She let some of the fear he expected leak into her body language as if she was trying to remain defiant but was having trouble controlling her natural reaction.

Lucas smiled at her movements before he cooly explained, "I was and now you're going to do something nice for me." He wrapped his hand around her arm fully and squeezed. Hard.

In response, Natasha smacked him. It wasn't nearly as hard as she could have but it was enough to make him mad. At the same time, she yanked her arm back as if in surprise. And just to make sure that he was still interested because technically she hit him at this point, she froze like she couldn't believe what she had just done.

* * *

Michelle's voice was deeper, a bit choked when she explained, "He wrenched my arm and dragged me a few steps farther into the park but I think I must have recovered faster than he thought. I managed to pull free but I only got a few steps before he lunged forward and grabbed my hand again. He spun me back around and he hit me."

Retelling the story caused Michelle to vacillate between anger and sadness and her voice lowered into a growl when she continued, "All of it pissed me off and I hurt but I couldn't get away so I remember I told him he would have to do better than that if he wanted to scare me. I think it surprised him so I hit him again but he didn't let go. Instead called me a bitch and told me to behave before he grabbed my hair and hit me a few more times…I don't know how many...I was busy looking for an opening. When I found it, I kicked him as hard as I could. He let go and doubled over, so I ran."

The defiance bled quickly out of her voice and Michelle dropped her head into her hands, whispering, "I shouldn't have run into the park, why did I run into the park?" Michelle looked up when Natasha brushed her hand across the younger woman's knee. She met Natasha's eyes and took strength from her quiet confidence. The decision had been made, it was in the past, now she needed to work through it.

* * *

The illusion of seduction failed there. In retaliation, Lucas backhanded Natasha hard across the face before he spat, "You little bitch." He clamped his hand down hard on her forearm again and yanked her close.

She smirked even as her hand flew up to her face in mock surprise. She had him. Then she tried harder to yank her arm out of his hand. When he wouldn't let go, she hit his chest, pretending to try to get him to let go. When that didn't work, she snarled, "Look, just because you buy me a drink doesn't mean I owe you anything. I'm leaving now." She tried to pry his hand off her arm.

He yanked her forward and leaned close into her face before he threatened, "No, you're not. You owe me something and I'm going to take it one way or another."

It was only then that Natasha felt a gun materialize against her back. That was new. On instinct, she froze.

He snarled into her ear as he pulled the hammer back, "Do you feel that? Either you do exactly what I want or your husband is going to have to find little shards of your head to piece back together so you can have an open casket."

* * *

Michelle coughed a few times as she recovered her composure. Her voice was more sure when she continued, "I didn't think he would chase me that far. I thought that if I made it to somewhere populated, he would stop but he didn't. At one point he caught up to me and slammed his fists down into my shoulder, that's when he dislocated it. But I managed to kick him a few times and run."

Michelle's voice slipped more into fear when she recounted the rest, "But then I tripped. I got my hand on a branch but even hitting him wasn't enough to get him to leave me alone. The next time he caught up, he tackled me and I hit my head on the concrete…I just...I couldn't…" Her tears finally started to fall then as she forced herself to finish the story, "I couldn't focus enough to fight him any more. He held me down and kissed me, shoved his tongue down my throat. Then he hit me again…and…he tore my clothes, broke the zipper on my pants and I couldn't think of anything else but how my life was going to change. He told me he was going to...I don't remember...its kinda fuzzy here but he was gonna hurt me and I couldn't do anything about it, I knew that much." Michelle looked up at Natasha and saw the fire and confidence in her eyes. She remembered what Natasha had told her and she squared her shoulders before she said with a shored up strength, "He was going to rape me." She swallowed hard before she finished the story, "But then Peter was there and he was gone." Michelle dropped her eyes to the floor for a split second as she collected herself and then she looked up again, another stitch pulled tight.

Now that Natasha had the full story, it was obvious what she would need to do in order to catch this man's attention. And she had every intention of doing just that. She slowly started to work her way through what she would need to do to get the police what they needed to arrest him. This would work.

Peter slowly uncurled his fingers from where they had dug into his palms when Michelle finally finished her story. Too much of that held details he didn't know, things that she either hadn't wanted to tell him or didn't feel comfortable telling him and that hurt. He knew it shouldn't. He knew there was always bit of what happened to him that he didn't tell her but being on the receiving end of that was more painful than he thought and he couldn't stop his own guilt from mixing with his anger and fear. It was a volatile blend that burned as it seared its way up the back of his throat. Thankfully, he couldn't bring himself to ask her about it in front of Natasha.

Both Natasha and Peter were so caught up in their own thoughts that Michelle's quiet voice startled them. Michelle was looking between the two before she finally just demanded, "I want to go with you." She looked up at their surprised glances and had to work to hide her reticence.

Peter recovered first and asked bewilderedly, "What?"

At the same time, Natasha flashed her a knowing smirk and nodded her approval.

Michelle squared her shoulders and repeated herself with a little more determination, "I want to go with you."

Peter winced even before he started, but said it anyway, "MJ, I don't know if that's a good idea…" All those swirling emotions boiled down into fear. He didn't want her anywhere near that man.

But Michelle was adamant, finding a bit more of her footing when she added, "I don't care, I want to be there."

Natasha understood Peter's fears, he protected, that's what he did. But at the same time, she could hear the conviction in Michelle's voice and she knew that even if she eventually changed her mind, the instinct to face the problem was a good one. Natasha flicked her gaze between the two before she gently turned toward Peter and explained, "Peter, there are five Avengers taking care of this, that's the safest she's going to be."

Peter scrunched his face for a few moments as he took Natasha's meaning, he had made the same demand of his dad on a few occasions, he knew what it meant to Michelle and now he understood what Tony went through every time. Sighing, Peter nodded gently.

Michelle recognized how hard it was for him so she slipped her hand into his and squeezed it softly.

* * *

**Alright everyone, I'm thinking two more chapters for this story, so I ****hope you're still enjoying it.**

**And I hope you have a wonderful day/night and stay creative!**

**-Lily**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey everyone,**

**Thank you so much for your support, it means a lot and I don't mean to sound like a broken record by saying that because it's very, very true. Before I start though, I want to give individual shout outs to: **

** \- the awesome ASimpleNerd, I'm so glad you love the idea and that you're looking forward to this chapter! I hope it meets your expectations!**

** \- the fantastic Ceggle143, I'm glad that works because this will be the last chapter with it! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Well, that's all I have for right now so, **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"MJ, why didn't you tell me all of that?" Peter tried to keep his voice even and remind himself to be understanding but he couldn't hide his sadness.

Michelle looked softly up at him before sliding her hand fully into his. It was then that she felt sticky warmth. Before she could acknowledge what he was saying, Michelle turned her hand slightly, causing his to twist. She gently moved her fingers enough to see a bleeding, half moon wound on his palm. Slipping her fingers back farther in surprise, she inadvertently left light trails of blood as she frowned at the manifestation of his anger. It was obvious what happened but she still murmured, "What did you do?"

Peter shrugged before he whispered, "I told you I wouldn't say anything." Then he begged, "Please answer my question."

Michelle contemplated him for a moment longer before she laid her hand flat against his, covering up the shallow wounds and gently turning his hand back over to rest in hers. Her voice held a quiet sincerity when she answered, "I didn't want to hurt you. I knew it would upset you to know what you hadn't stopped, so I didn't want to tell you." She looked down at their clasped hands and murmured, "And I don't know I was ready to tell you everything either." She chewed her lip a bit as she tried to turn the conversation back to him, "You have so much else to worry about Peter, what good could knowing all that possibly do?"

Peter watched her with something between admiration and concern but he didn't say anything.

Michelle was a little uncomfortable with his rapt attention. She could see the hints of betrayal in his eyes and she hurried to draw a comparison, "It's the same reason you don't tell me about every broken bone and every concussion. It doesn't help me do anything more for you."

Peter could feel his anger bubbling up because he knew she was right. She had somehow accepted that he wasn't going to tell her everything and it was always an immense relief. But she hadn't deserved any of this and that fact forced him to break his self-imposed silence. He argued, "But that's my job. That's how I protect people. That's how I protect you."

Michelle smirked at him and kept her voice even, "You're right. And it was my turn. You had already protected me from the worst of it. Why would I lay more on you?"

Peter wrapped his fingers lightly around her hand before he looked at her with tears in his eyes and swore, "I could have helped you."

Michelle smiled sadly then and whispered, "You did. Without know all that, you did help me. I didn't tell you because I couldn't. But I still healed and you still helped me, so what could knowing have helped you do differently?"

Peter mentally pulled back as he forced himself to contemplate that. He didn't have an answer. He looked up at her in surprise, his mouth moving a few times but no sound escaped because he couldn't think of anything to say.

Michelle watched his reaction. That was what she wanted, she didn't want him to argue, she just wanted him to understand. She carefully gestured with her free hand and said, "That's what I mean. I told you what I needed you to know. I'm sorry that you're upset and I'm sorry you had to find out this way, but you of all people can't get mad at me for holding something back until I could deal with it first."

In that moment, Peter knew he had no right to be mad at her and he could feel his ire slipping toward the mission. Still, he couldn't help but push just a little more, "But what he said to you..."

"Hurt." Michelle finished the statement and hurried to fill in the gaps before he could say something else, "I can't lie about that. I can't help but hear it sometimes in my nightmares but then I wake up and you're there..." She trailed off of her explanation because he knew what she meant and there was no reason to wallow.

Peter stared sadly at her before he quietly asked, "Are you sure you want to go with us?"

Michelle's smile dropped and she nearly hissed, "Yes. I'm sure." It wasn't meant to be cruel or angry but it was distinctly determined.

Peter nodded grimly but didn't argue.

* * *

Lucas pulled Natasha into the alley, the gun pressed tightly into her side. Natasha put on a convincing act as he dragged her deeper into the dark. She whimpered before she sucked in her cries like she was trying to be brave and when they were far enough back she asked with a slight waver to her voice, "Wha...why are you doing this?" But instead of an answer, he yanked her forward, throwing her off balance as he swung. Natasha wasn't ready and she instinctually shifted to block the blow. Instead, at the last second she let it connect and felt the sting of yet another punch. She brought her hands up meekly and partially blocked his next attack.

That seemed to make him even angrier and he swung again.

As he drew his hand back and opened his mouth, Natasha saw more than heard Peter drop into the alley behind them before his exigent voice demanded, "Hey!"

Lucas stopped mid-swing and snarled at Natasha before he viciously kicked her legs out from under her and trained the gun on her. Once she was down, he dramatically turned with a groan toward Peter.

Natasha could hear the barely contained fury in his voice when Peter tried to be flippant and sniped, "Don't you have something better to be doing on a Saturday night?"

Lucas threw his free hand forward and complained with a whine, "Geezus, man, really?" He kicked Natasha hard in the stomach just to make sure she didn't try anything before he snapped, "What the hell is your problem?" Then he glibly threw out, "Did I like go after your girl or something?"

Natasha cried out in only partially faux fear when Lucas kicked her. But it gave her an excuse to curl up and work on slowly pulling in her legs in to stabilize herself in case she needed to fight.

Peter didn't respond, he just tried to keep the attention on himself while Natasha deftly slipped into a more stable position, if he was right, he wouldn't need to say much to make this work. But a large part of him was glad he was wearing a mask because he wasn't sure if he would be able to hide his anger without it.

Lucas seemed oblivious to Natasha's movements and kept talking, zeroing in on something about Peter's body language. He prodded, "Oh wait, seriously? I did, didn't I?" He laughed, a full throated burst of delight. After a few melodramatic moments, he mocked with gleeful disbelief, "I found the girlfriend of Spider-Man." When Lucas didn't get an immediate reaction, he kept pushing, "Was it that sorority bitch? She liked to scream, didn't help her much once I put my hand over her mouth."

Peter didn't move, just continued to flick his eyes between the gun and Natasha.

Lucas scowled in Peter's direction and then continued with distain, "That redhead? She wasn't as feisty as you would have expected…no it wasn't her either, was it?"

His eyes darkened a bit when he contemplatively continued, "It couldn't have been that brunette that forced me to kill her or I'd be dead by now…" He trailed off as his eyes moved just over Peter's shoulder and he absentmindedly brought his free hand up to his eyebrow. There was a brief moment of recollection, like a missing piece slotted into place before he narrowed his eyes and growled, "It was that _bitch_ that scarred me, wasn't it?"

Peter avoided almost every tell but he couldn't help but take an unconscious step forward when Lucas said that. Michelle was hidden not to far from where they were and he was distinctly aware of that. He stopped when he heard Tony's warning whisper, "Keep it together, Pete..."

Lucas just sneered, "Oh, it was, wasn't it? That sounds right." He tapped the side of his head lightly, "I'm remembering a bit more now, see you hit me pretty damn hard." Then he leaned forward and jabbed, "I bet she's a handful in bed…not that I would know since, you know, ya stopped me." Then he kept going confidently, "She came with me that night. I didn't force her, at least not right away. I met her at a bar, got to talking, you know how these things go. She agreed to come home with me and then, I don't know, had second thoughts or something…" The man trailed off with a smirk.

Peter bit back his ire and lied with everything he had. His voice wavered as he whined, "That's not true. She wouldn't…"

Luke smirked cockily before he lifted his chin and snapped, "Why not? It was a Saturday night and she was on her own…you can't expect her to just sit around and wait for you."

Peter hated the lies but he realized he could use that to his advantage, if he could give him enough…Peter dropped his voice and whispered, "She wouldn't do that. She would never do that." Then he saw the hunger in the Lucas's eyes.

"Oh, wouldn't she? She's beautiful, your girl. At least she was, I messed her face up a bit but I would imagine she looks okay now." He turned incrementally toward Peter but the gun still wasn't far enough from Natasha.

Peter needed to give him more, so he kept lying, "She told me she had to go into the office to get some work done, that she was on her way back when you attacked her."

"Well, if she was coming back from a Saturday at the office, why was she dressed the way she was?"

For a second, Peter paused and tried to remember what she had been wearing that would have given Lucas that impression. It took him only another second before he realized that it was just an excuse, just some half-assed personal justification for something that should have never happened. Still, Peter pushed, "What do you mean?"

Lucas's voice became more predatory when he zealously replied, "Tight black jeans that showed off those long legs, that fitted shirt. What else could she have been after wearing something like that out?"

Peter shook his head, "No…no see she told me that's all she had left, we hadn't done the laundry in a while." Peter winced, that was stupid but it seemed to work.

A derisive smile slipped onto Lucas's lips and the gun finally shifted as he took as step toward Peter, his head cocked to the side like he had leverage. He goaded Peter, "Yah I bet she lied to you. How often do you leave her on her own while you're off saving the city? How often does she have to go to bed alone while you run around playing Avenger? Hmm, how often Spider-Man?"

Peter almost had him, he let himself get choked up and he all but whispered, "I try."

"Oh I'm sure you do…" The man teased as he took another step toward Peter, the gun coming up level with his chest. Then he continued, "But beautiful women will always hurt you, Spider-Man, don't forget that."

Peter needed him to keep going, the more he said, the more he had to hang him with, to make sure that he never got out again. That and he needed to give Natasha a chance to get into position. He pressed with a whine, "Why do you do it?"

Lucas shrugged a bit before he spat, "Why? Because they tell me no and they don't have a right to. Because they're meant to be controlled and used and shamed. Because I can." He took another step closer to Peter and Natasha was able to get her feet under her. Unconcerned or missing to that motion, Lucas continued, "See here's the thing Spider-Man, we let them have too much confidence and they think they get to decide things. I like to show them that's not actually true." Then he paused and cocked his head before he lowered his voice and implored, "You know, if we worked together…"

Peter saw Natasha crouched behind Lucas, her batons extended and on the ground near her feet, her hands poised over the deadly weapons. As he listened to that suggestion, bile rose in Peter's throat, threatening to strangle him even as rage pounded in his blood. He couldn't let Lucas finish. He fired a web at the muzzle of the gun and another at Lucas's chest, trapping and disarming him at the same time. Then Peter pulled. As the man came toward him, Peter sidestepped and held out his arm. The momentum carried Lucas through Peter's arm, clotheslining him. He fell heavily back onto the concrete.

Peter dropped to his knee over him as he snarled, "She is my girlfriend, you sick bastard. And now…" He slammed his fist into the concrete near Lucas's head, appreciating the intense fear that broke across the man's face as the asphalt cracked under Peter's hand.

Peter's anger permeated his tone when he continued, "You have to deal…" He brought his fist down again, slightly closer this time and Lucas's fear shifted into something more feral.

Just to drive it home, Peter leaned down into the man's face, "With me." He snapped back and brought his fist down once more, making sure to catch Lucas's ear as he cracked the concrete under his head. Lucas instinctually reacted to the pain, trying to bring his hand up to his ear. But as soon as he felt that movement, Peter slammed his hand down onto Lucas's wrist. Peter hadn't actually meant to but he felt the bone give under his strength. Lucas screamed and Peter let him.

That was all he was willing to do.

Once Lucas was duly terrified of how far Peter was willing to go, he sat back on his haunches and let go. Peter's voice didn't lose any of its dangerous edge but he was much more matter-of-fact when he snarled, "You're lucky she believes in the value of the law the way she does because she's the _only_ reason I'm not going to kill you." Peter leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "But I swear to god, if I ever catch you near another woman, nothing she can say about being righteous or lawful will save you because…" He pulled back and looked Lucas square in the face before he finished with a violent growl, "you will regret it."

Lucas's eyes widened but he didn't say, just stared, terrified, up at Peter.

Peter could catch the sirens at the edges of his senses and had every intention of leaving, satisfied that his message had gotten through. But then a thought occurred to him. He grabbed ahold of Lucas's chin, forcing the man to look at him before he snarled, "And if you ever come after her, I will burn your world to the ground before I tear. You. Apart." He squeezed his fingers closed with a fraction of his strength, waiting for Lucas to fully comprehend the threat. When his eyes widened in pain and surprise, Peter squeezed a little harder, enough to bruise deeply before he let go. Then Peter said in a louder, more conversational tone, "Do you understand me?"

Lucas nodded reflexively, his head knocking against the ground in his rush to appease. Satisfied, Peter stood and webbed Lucas's hands to the ground before knocking the gun just far enough away that he could see it. Peter brought his foot down, easily grinding the metal into the concrete and cast one last look at Lucas before he snapped, "The police are on their way but don't _ever_ forget what I told you."

Peter stepped over to where Natasha was now standing, her batons away as she watched Peter with an impartial gaze.

Natasha glanced over at him for a moment before she turned her gaze to Lucas and asked, "Do you feel better?"

"No." Peter dropped his shoulders as he looked up at her, "Why are there people like that?"

Natasha sighed and pensively stared at the ground for a few moments before she met his masked eyes, "I've met a lot of people like him, they all want something for nothing. They take what doesn't belong to them because they feel they deserve it for one twisted reason or another." She dropped her gaze anyway for another moment before she glanced back up at him, "Not everyone is willing to grow and be better."

Peter nodded hesitantly before he called into his mic, "MJ?"

On cue, Michelle materialized out of the shadows. Her eyes had long ago adjusted and it was easy for her to catch the pathetic form on the ground. Michelle stared impassively at the man who had haunted her dreams for nearly three months. He didn't look nearly as frightening as when he had been hitting her. And she couldn't help but notice the darkening stain on his jeans, Karen had cut off what Peter had been saying pretty quickly but the evidence in front of her told her exactly how persuasive he had been. Michelle crouched down near Lucas's head and asked, "How's it feel?"

Lucas shot her a fearful look and it took a long moment for recognition to flash through his gaze, which hardened when he recognized her.

Michelle cocked her head to the side before she continued in her even, controlled tone, "It sucks doesn't it? To get hurt? To be scared?"

As he watched Michelle, he seemed to find some of his defiance and hissed under his breath, "Bitch."

Michelle heard Peter step forward, watching as Lucas's eyes flashed behind her in terror but Michelle was done letting him talk to her like that. Without thought, she slammed her fist into his face. She felt his nose crack under her knuckles and she felt a sick level of satisfaction at that. When he looked up at her in shock, she snapped, "I wouldn't say things like that…see, he has really good hearing and he's really pissed at you."

She sat back and shrugged, "I guess that doesn't matter though because you're done. Daddy's not going to be able to get you out of this. I'm going to see you again at trial and you're going to jail." She flicked her eyes up when she heard the sirens, it was time to leave. Michelle left him with a promise, "And even if you get out, you'll have to spend the rest of you pathetic life looking over your shoulder because he doesn't lie."

Michelle stood and confidently stepped over to Peter and Natasha.

* * *

**Alright everyone, there's one more wrap-up chapter after this. I hope this was appropriate pay-off for you! For those of you who have kept up with this, I hope you enjoyed it!**

**As always, feel free to let me know what you thought in the reviews.**

**I hope you have a wonderful night/day and stay creative!**

**-Lily**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey everyone!**

**Sorry, this took so long! For some reason, I had some trouble wrapping up this story, but I think I've got a good ending for it now, and I hope you enjoy it!**

**I want to say thank you to those who favorited and followed, it's incredible to get those emails :) And I specifically want to give some shoutouts to:**

** \- the fantastically wonderful Ceggle143, I'm glad you liked that version of Peter, I had SOOO much fun writing that! I hope you enjoy this last chapter too!**

** \- the amazingly outstanding Where The Stars End, I liked writing that revenge also. I'm glad it didn't seem to over the top. Hopefully, you like this last chapter too!**

**Also, I do want to warn you. I included some callbacks from other stories I've written in this loose universe. It's not anything necessary to the understanding of this plot or something that requires you to read the other stories to get, but the connections are there. It was just one of those things I felt like it was necessary to include to maintain consistency for myself.**

**Okay, that's all of the author's note I have for now so without further ado, **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Michelle stopped in front of Peter and Natasha, but her stomach turned sickeningly. She felt paradoxically nervous and confident. The disconnect left her staring at the ground with her shoulders pulled back. She could hear the sirens in the background and knew they needed to go. The plan, once they were gone, was for Peter to send the video into the station. But if they waited too long, the police were going to figure out exactly how much set up had gone into this arrest. Still, Michelle needed to say something before they left.

She studied her shoes for just a moment before she forced herself to look up, her shoulders slumping to compensate for her continued trepidation. Still, she caught Natasha and Peter's eyes and whispered, "Thank you."

Natasha smiled understandingly before she returned the sentiment, "You're welcome." She paused like she was going to say more, but the loud howl of speeding sirens forced her hand, and she hurriedly added, "Hold that thought." Then she took off down the alley.

Peter nodded self-consciously as he matched Michelle's palpable nervousness. And that discomfort tied his tongue. It was only when Natasha fled that he was able to shake off his hesitation. Peter's expression hardened before he stepped forward and wrapped his arm behind Michelle's shoulders. Pulling her close, Peter fired the web, and just before they were pulled upward, he whispered, "Always." Barely a few seconds later, they landed on the fire escape above them.

Peter knew the police would start looking as soon as they saw the webbing on Lucas's hands, so he swung a few buildings away before he carefully dropped onto the rooftop. He gently let Michelle get her footing and then, in a flurry of motion, tore off his mask. Only to awkwardly freeze again and watch Michelle. He was surprised by the look of serenity and composure on her face. It was something he hadn't seen for a while. But then it started to shift, and he was afraid his furious anger had disappointed her.

Michelle closed her eyes and breathed deeply, wrapping her brain around everything that had happened and letting herself believe it was over. But when she opened her eyes and saw the concern in Peter's twisting expression, Michelle's gut rolled again. Something was wrong. Peter looked horrified. She felt her expression slip from closure into anxiety.

When neither one spoke after a few tense moments, Peter murmured, "I'm sorry." The weight of his anxiety forced his gaze onto the gravel rooftop.

Michelle noticed the difference in his posture from just a few minutes ago. She rushed to ask, "Why are you apologizing?"

Peter's gaze snapped to her, but the insecurity was still in his tone when he stuttered, "I don't know. I just…feel like that was really dangerous and really...violent."

Michelle immediately started to shake her head, needing him to understand that nothing he had done was unwarranted, "No, you don't need to apologize for any of that. You protected me. Helped me. Why would you need to apologize for anything?" Then she softened her tone because the last thing she wanted to do was make him feel guilty, so she added, "I _needed_ this, and you let me have it."

"But…" Peter started, still a bit unsure of where he was going with it.

Michelle smiled at him, understanding his irresistible urge to make sure she was okay. Her voice was quiet when she stopped him, "Please stop, Peter. It's okay. I'm alright." She grabbed his hands and met his eyes before she took a step forward. She pulled his hands up to her chest, "Whatever you think you did, I can promise you, you didn't. You don't deserve to apologize or feel guilty for anything. Without you…" She shuddered a bit and trailed off.

"I know." He answered softly.

"That's not what I mean," Michelle said gently. She continued the thought with a little more confidence, "Without you, I wouldn't have been able to face him. And I don't just mean tonight. You helped pull me back, and there is nothing you should feel guilty for." She observed him, seeing the anger shift to confusion and, finally, relief. Michelle smiled, "Let's go home."

Peter nodded and pulled his mask back on. He scooped her up and leaped off the roof.

The echo of the sirens died behind them as Peter swung to the Tower. He had been nervous about going back to their apartment for reasons that were not even remotely close to logical. But right now, the logic didn't matter. And he felt safer with his family, anyway. Plus, it was where they had decided to meet after the operation.

As they got within sight of the Tower, Peter ordered, "Karen, can you please send that video to the police?"

"Of course, Peter."

They swung in silence for just under five minutes; the only sound to break the serene rhythm was the wind that whipped passed them. When they got close enough, Peter dropped carefully onto the platform just outside his dad's newly refurbished private floor. He did everything he could to take the impact of their weight hitting the cement, so Michelle only felt some of the jarring impact.

Finally, in a place where he could breathe, Peter tugged off his mask once more and looked her up and down. When he didn't see any visible signs of distress, he hesitantly asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Michelle stepped up and kissed him on the cheek before she whispered, "I promise." Without waiting for him to catch up, she grabbed his hand and led him toward the door. Michelle felt lighter, safer than she had in a long time, and she was ready to prove that.

As the door slid open, the other Avengers were already arrayed in front of them, talking in nervous tones and hushed twitters. Natasha was still in her jeans and torn shirt, and the others were still armored. All of them were looking expectantly at the pair stepping through the sliding door, but it was Tony who spoke, "Are we good?"

Michelle, knowing the question was for her, smirked and nodded, "We're good."

The tension in the room slipped.

And then melted away as Clint dropped his bow onto the couch behind him. Tony's armor folded away, leaving the man in an inexplicably unrumpled t-shirt and jeans. In true Stark fashion, Tony clapped his hands together and said, "So, who wants a drink?"

There was another moment of bated breath before…

Michelle smiled. Actually smiled for the first time in a long time, and she squeezed Peter's hand a little tighter as she let go of some of what she had been holding onto bottled up inside her chest. She wasn't totally okay. She knew the memories would keep bubbling back up, but, for now, she felt better, and that was something to celebrate.

She was met with a chorus of yeses as Tony turned to the liquor cabinet. Michelle turned toward Peter and whispered, "I'm okay. I promise." She smiled at him, letting him see how serious she was.

Peter watched her, looking for any sign of deception, but when he didn't see anything, a hesitant smile slipped across his face. He took a deep breath and pressed his forehead against hers, "Are you sure?"

Michelle leaned forward and kissed him. When she pulled away and pressed her forehead back against his, she was smiling.

Peter nodded; his eyes still closed when he said breathily, "Okay."

She pulled away from him and tugged him toward the others. Michelle wanted to feel comfortable, and while she would have preferred it to be fewer people, these were the people who had helped her, and she wanted to thank them.

* * *

They stayed up for a few more hours.

It was subdued but enjoyable as they told stories and tried to keep the conversation off what had just happened. Intermittently, Tony, Peter, and Natasha stole glances at Michelle, waiting to see if their new reality would hold. When it did, they relaxed too, finally falling into the same enjoyment the others had already found.

Eventually, the conversation slipped. It took longer for a new story to start after a lull, and the exhaustion was apparent in the room. They mutually agreed to get some sleep and figure out the implications of everything

in the morning. There were still enough rooms in the Tower for everyone to have some privacy. Peter and Michelle had the room closest to the living room, and as soon as they shut the door behind them, they crawled into bed, entirely spent. Michelle curled up into Peter's side and was asleep almost immediately.

It wasn't that easy for Peter.

He just kept replaying the encounter in his head.

And no matter what he did, he couldn't keep the pounding anger out of his veins. It was frustrating because he knew it was done. He knew he should be able to be thankful Michelle was safe and that the person who had caused all this was going to jail, but instead, he couldn't stop the frustration and the overwhelming anger.

Peter tried to force himself to relax.

But as he squeezed his eyes shut…he just couldn't stop.

Still, he didn't want to move because he was afraid he would wake Michelle up. So, he held her tightly for a while. Only when he was sure she was deeply asleep, Peter pressed a kiss to her hair and slipped out of bed.

He stepped out into the living room with a deep sigh of relief before he fell back into the couch.

It wasn't until he looked up that he realized Tony was sitting across from him.

Tony watched his son collapse into the furniture. He waited until Peter realized he was there before he asked, "How are you doing with all this?"

"Oh, you know, it happened…" Peter trailed off and tossed his hand, noncommittally into the air before it landed back in his stomach with a thud.

Tony gave him the side-eye and ordered, "Give me a real answer, Pete."

"I have no idea…" Peter said, trailing off for a few moments before he picked up the conversational thread, "I know people like that exist, I deal with them all the time, but it's never hit quite this close before." He looked up at Tony, "It's frustrating, you know. I can't do anything to prevent these people…to stop this stuff from happening…but sometimes I wish I could just end it all. Keep it from ever happening in the first place." He sat up abruptly but looked at the carpet before he confessed the real issue he was having, "I just…I don't know what happened. It wasn't me that did that." His voice lowered into a dangerous snarl, "I wanted to kill him, dad. I wanted to bash his head against the concrete until his skull shattered." He twisted his fingers hard in his discomfort, but the conviction in his voice didn't change, "Twice. I've wanted to do that twice now." Then he sobered and looked back up at Tony, "How do I deal with that? That's not me."

Tony's voice matched Peter's in ferocity, "It is when your family is threatened, Pete. We're blinded by people we love, regardless of how rational we want to be. And that's okay because you proved that when it comes down to it when you're actually given that choice, you stop. Every time."

Peter whispered, "I didn't once…" He dropped his head into his hands.

Tony leaned forward and pulled Peter's hands down so he could look him in the eyes, "Everyone is allowed to make mistakes, Pete. Learning from them is the hard part. And you've learned from every mistake you have ever made. That doesn't make it wrong to have the thoughts." His voice softened when he explained, "He hurt her, and that hurt you. You're allowed to be angry about that, and you're allowed to want to kill him for that, no one would have blamed you for it. But you stopped yourself. That's the hard part, that's the part you should be proud of yourself for."

Peter nodded gingerly.

But Tony gently offered, "If you can't be proud of yourself, just know that I'm proud of you. I'm immensely, unconditionally proud of you."

Peter met Tony's gaze with a soft smile before he squeezed Tony's hands and said, "Thanks, dad." He swallowed hard before he continued, "For everything. You don't so much to help me, to help her, and I don't know that I've said thank you for that."

Tony smirked at him, "You don't have to thank me, kid. That's what I'm here for. I've got your back."

They stared at each other for a few moments before Tony pulled away and settled back into his chair, crossing his legs and saying flippantly, "So, does this mean I'm going to get my assistant back?"

Peter snorted at the question but still nodded. He had never really been an assistant. He bit his lip before he shot back, "Why because you've been lost without me? You never could remember your social security number."

Tony looked up in mock horror, his voice wavering to match, "Oh god, have you been talking to Pepper again?"

Peter smirked but didn't press it. They slipped into a comfortable silence, broken randomly as they settled on thoughts about their various projects. It didn't take long then until Peter started to nod off, and Tony followed quickly after.

* * *

Some noise somewhere in the Tower woke Tony up a few hours later and realized that Peter was still asleep on the couch across from him. Carefully, he knelt beside the sofa and shook his son's shoulder. When all he got was a grumble, he tried again, urging, "Pete? Pete, I think you should try sleeping in your bed."

Peter groggily complied, stumbling to his room and crawling back into bed. Michelle immediately rolled into his side, and he sighed contentedly as he drifted back off to sleep.

* * *

They started fresh the next day.

The optimism was nearly tangible as they started to compile what they had, and Tony contacted his lawyers, getting them to work on whatever civil case was coming in case somehow the DA managed to lose the criminal case. Not that Tony allowed for even the possibility of that given who he hired.

Starting with their efforts, it took nearly a month for the DA to build the case. It was airtight within the first week, but given the caliber of the defense team, there was a level of care that went into ensuring there were no surprises for the State of New York. Michelle knew she would have to testify, but she felt better knowing they were on the surer footing. Not to mention the video evidence they had from Natasha's performance, which was enough without her testimony.

On the first day, Michelle was there, and Peter was at her side, where he, unsurprisingly, stayed for the entire trial. Not once was Michelle on her own, although Peter was careful not to speak too loud whenever Lucas was within earshot. Peter didn't think the man would remember his voice, but it was better to avoid the possibility.

The only time Peter was not in the room was when Spider-Man had to testify. It had been a trick by the defense to try and trip up the prosecution, but Peter used one of Natasha's voice modulators and had a very public fight with his boss outside the courtroom before the trial started, so he had a reason to leave before Spider-Man showed up.

And if anyone had figured it out, it would have felt like a family prank to get dad out of the room so he could dress up as Santa. But that's because it was Tony's idea and he might have stolen it from exactly that situation. It meant Michelle was alone for a day, and a couple of random ones after that to keep up the story, but it kept Peter's identity secret.

The trial was grueling, but, in the end, Lucas was found guilty on all counts with a potential sentence of up to twelve years in prison.

* * *

Tony and Pepper had invited Peter and Michelle to the cabin for a few days to decompress after the trial ended. Pepper knew how exhausted they were, and she guessed, rightly, that it would help to get away from the city for a few days. It helped.

And it gave Michelle a chance to have a conversation she had been thinking about for a while.

Michelle dropped lightly onto the couch next to Tony. She watched Peter, Morgan, and Pepper playing with Legos for a few moments as she gathered her courage, giving her mind time to question why conversations, serious conversations with Tony were one of the few things that never got easier. When she finally steeled her resolved and looked up at him, he was already staring at her. Michelle's eyes widened in surprise, and she swallowed hard before she said with more authority than she felt, "Tony, can I…uhh…can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." He intoned, turning a little more fully toward her.

But Michelle's gaze flicked across the others in the room. She was nervous about this becoming a witnessed conversation.

Tony got it and stood, gesturing toward the office just off the living room. Michelle nodded and gracefully slipped toward it, knowing he would follow.

As he trailed behind her, Tony was reminded of the last time he was in a room with an obviously motivated, but nervous, Michelle. He was a bit apprehensive about it because he was pretty sure he knew what she wanted to say. Still, he ensured she had full control of the room. He pulled the door closed behind them and turned toward her, giving her his full attention.

Michelle swallowed back her anxiety at tense silence in the room. She coughed a few times to buy herself just a few more moments before starting with conviction, "I need to thank you."

Tony's response was immediate and visceral, "No, you don't. I didn't do anything."

Michelle shook her head, appreciating the contradiction because it meant she was right. She pushed with more confidence, "You are the humblest conceited person I have ever met." This was precisely what she had expected, so she kept going, "I do need to say something because you helped him. If I wasn't for you, I don't know what would have happened. I sure as hell wasn't fighting for myself; he was the one fighting for me. And I know he didn't do that on his own. He was able to do that because he knew you were there." She swallowed hard before she continued, "I need to thank you for that."

Tony recognized her conviction, and it was incredibly humbling, so he tried to change the subject. He watched her thoughtfully before he quipped, "I'm really glad you're on our side, and that you're not particularly fond of my suits. Because dammit if you wouldn't be terrifying."

Michelle scrunched her nose at the deflection. She couldn't let him do that. She needed him to understand. Her voice was commanding when she directed the conversation back, "Stop, Tony, please, I need you to acknowledge what I'm saying."

Tony smirked, "I don't need to, though, MJ." When her eyes narrowed like she was going to argue, Tony hurried to keep her from saying anything. His tone was rueful, even if his words weren't, "Sorry, but it's true. It makes me uncomfortable to be thanked for helping my sons. I'm always gonna protect them, regardless of what that entails." He tossed his hand toward her and added, "And that goes for you too." When he realized what he said, Tony winced at what he almost admitted. But Michelle didn't react particularly to that, so Tony let out a slight sigh of relief.

"Fine," Michelle said with a bit of a huff, "Well, I'm still telling you thank you because you're part of the reason why I've been able to work through everything that's happened." Just to firmly communicate her thanks, Michelle lurched forward and hugged him tightly. It was more natural than the last time she had hugged him, but it was still genuine appreciation. Tony returned the hold, wrapping his arms around the younger woman's shoulders.

When Michelle pulled away, they acknowledged each other for a moment. Tony laid his hand on her shoulder for a thoughtful moment and, with a soft smile, admitted, "I'm glad you can put up with him."

Michelle smiled, but she couldn't help but drop her eyes to the ground at the thinly veiled praise.

Once she had to deal with the praise long enough, Tony softly said, "What do you say we head back out to the living room?"

Michelle nodded and headed for the door. When she stepped over the threshold, she looked up and caught Peter's gaze and smile. She returned the sentiment, watching as he turned back to the Lego spaceship he and Pepper were building with Morgan.

* * *

It was only a few weeks after the end of the trial when Natasha finally made it back to her room at the Compound. She had been in the city for the better part of the month at the UN's special commission on international violence against women. Meeting with heads of state was never a stress-less situation, and it was one she rarely enjoyed, but, in this case, at least it seemed mostly worth it. Yes, there was still some pushback from people she would rather deal with in less official channels, but for the most part, the commission was moving in the right direction. Plus, Michelle had been at the meeting. So had Okoye and Nakia. The three of them had made the frustrations bearable.

Still, she breathed a sigh of relief and rolled her shoulders when she entered her space.

As she flicked on the lights, she noticed a wrapped box on the bed. Curiosity got the better of her, and she fell onto the mattress, pulling it toward her. Carefully unwrapping it and opening the lid, she audibly gasped when she saw a new set of pointe shoes. Her eyes unconsciously flicked up to her old, wore pair still hanging on the edge of a chair. She couldn't bear to throw them away, but she also hadn't had time to grab new ones. She had needed to replace them for a while now, but the only person she had mentioned that to was…Natasha dug through the box and finally found the card that had slipped behind the tissue paper. Flipping it over, she realized it was from Peter.

_I knew you wouldn't accept them any other way. Thank you. For everything._

Natasha smiled softly at his kindness. She would have helped regardless, but the gesture was appreciated. She slowly turned the pointe shoes over in her hands. They were beautifully made, and she had the distinct urge to use them.

Shrugging off the last of her exhaustion, she snapped them up as she left.

* * *

A few months after the trial ended, it was a beautiful day, and Peter and Michelle decided to wander the city. On their way back to their apartment, Michelle's gaze locked on the entrance to the park where Lucas had attacked her. It had been a place she and Peter had avoided since her attack. They had always taken the long way home. But something about today made her want to try it. For whatever reason, Michelle felt like it was time for her to do this and prove that it wasn't going to hurt her. It helped that Peter was with her.

Without warning, she slipped her hand into Peter's and tugged him gently toward the entrance they usually avoided.

Peter had been talking about an award Morgan had won at school for his science project, and Michelle's sudden motion caught him off guard. He looked over at her in surprise before his gaze snapped up to the entrance and then shifted back, "Are you sure, MJ?"

Michelle didn't say anything. She just directed him with a little more insistence.

Peter followed apprehensively because he could feel how tightly Michelle's fingers were wrapped around his. For anyone else, it would have left one hell of a bruise. But that was the worst pressure. The farther they walked, the more her apprehension melted away, and toward the exit, it was actually an enjoyable walk.

As they came to the gate on the other end, Peter leaned over and quietly asked, "Do you feel better?"

Michelle nodded contemplatively before she slowly responded, "I do, actually." She looked up at him and continued with complete conviction, "Thank you for that. Thank you, for…everything, Peter. I don't know that I couldn't have done this without you. I think I would have been stuck in that place for the rest of my life, constantly trying to figure out how to hide it from the rest of the world."

Peter nodded and offered with a soft smile and a quiet conviction to match hers, "You could have done it without me." He watched her with loving confidence and murmured, "But I'll always see you."

Michelle wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into his chest a fraction of a moment before his arms closed around her back. She whispered into his shoulder, "Thank you." She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of happiness and safety.

Peter kissed her hair and held her tight in return.

Michelle pulled back from him enough to lean in and kiss him deeply. He had been letting her set the pace on anything remotely intimate, and she appreciated it. She smiled against his lips when he leaned into the embrace. Usually, neither of them were ones for public displays of affection, but, right now, it was necessary for _them_.

When they broke the kiss, both were smiling. They slipped back into a tight hug and stood for just a few moments, reveling in quiet contentment before they headed home, hand in hand.

* * *

**Alright, well, that's it for this fanfic! For those of you who read to the end, thank you so much, and I hope (as I always do) that this last chapter wasn't too sappy or over the top. I will admit, that is one of the hardest balances for me. **

**Hopefully, it worked and feel free to let me know what you thought in the reviews. **

**I hope you have a wonderful day/night and stay creative!**

**-Lily**


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